Male sexuality in Vietnam: the case of male-to-male sex

Background: To implement effective behaviour change interventions for men who have sex with men, qualitative information was collected about the contexts and meanings of sex and relationships between men in Ho Chi Minh City. Methods: Individual interviews and focus groups were conducted with 74 men aged 18 years or older who had had sex with another man in the previous 12 months. Results: Findings reveal that sex between men exists and is associated with two common descriptors in Vietnam: bong lo for those who are feminised in public and bong kin for those who are not, and are often married. In sexual relationships, for both groups of men, there is a trade off between sexual pleasure and risk. Condoms may not be used, particularly when having sex with a partner who was considered to be good looking or perceived as ‘clean’. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for HIV prevention programs which address issues of sexual meaning in male-to-male sexual relationships.

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V. Fertility

New Surveys in the Classics ◽

10.1017/s0533245100021878 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 21 ◽

pp. 21-25

Keyword(s):

Sexual Relationships ◽

The Body ◽

Sexual Pleasure ◽

Ancient World ◽

Social Contacts ◽

Daily Care ◽

First Marriage ◽

Moral Quality

Restricting social contacts for women gave assurance that they were virgin on first marriage and that there was no doubt about the legitimacy of their children - all their children, since the ancient world did not have the system of primogeniture, which sometimes makes rich families more relaxed after the birth of the Heir. The most important moral quality for females was sophrosunē, which often (like English ‘virtue’) means simply ‘chastity’. A marriage was distinguished from other sexual relationships precisely by the woman’s ability to bear legitimate citizen children to the man: this is the point of a comment, often misinterpreted, ascribed to Demosthenes ([Demosthenes] 59.122), that men have wives for the procreation of legitimate heirs, concubines for the daily care of the body, and prostitutes for sexual pleasure.

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Regular STI testing amongst men who have sex with men and use social media is suboptimal – a cross-sectional study

International Journal of STD & AIDS ◽

10.1177/0956462416636780 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 573-583 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jamie Frankis ◽

Lisa Goodall ◽

Dan Clutterbuck ◽

Abdul-Razak Abubakari ◽

Paul Flowers

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Adjusted Odds Ratio ◽

Anal Intercourse ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Transmitted Infection ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Sti Testing ◽

Male Sex ◽

Sex With Men

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately affect men who have sex with men, with marked increases in most STIs in recent years. These are likely underpinned by coterminous increases in behavioural risks which have coincided with the development of Internet and geospatial sociosexual networking. Current guidelines advocate regular, annual sexually transmitted infection testing amongst sexually active men who have sex with men (MSM), as opposed to symptom-driven testing. This paper explores sexually transmitted infection testing regularity amongst MSM who use social and sociosexual media. Data were collected from 2668 men in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, recruited via social and gay sociosexual media. Only one-third of participants report regular (yearly or more frequent) STI testing, despite relatively high levels of male sex partners, condomless anal intercourse and high-risk unprotected anal intercourse. The following variables were associated with regular STI testing; being more ‘out’ (adjusted odds ratio = 1.79; confidence interval = 1.20–2.68), HIV-positive (adjusted odds ratio = 14.11; confidence interval = 7.03–28.32); reporting ≥10 male sex partners (adjusted odds ratio = 2.15; confidence interval = 1.47–3.14) or regular HIV testing (adjusted odds ratio = 48.44; confidence interval = 28.27–83.01). Men reporting long-term sickness absence from work/carers (adjusted odds ratio = 0.03; confidence interval = 0.00–0.48) and men aged ≤25 years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.36; 95% confidence interval = 0.19–0.69) were less likely to test regularly for STIs. As such, we identify a complex interplay of social, health and behavioural factors that each contribute to men’s STI testing behaviours. In concert, these data suggest that the syndemics placing men at elevated risk may also mitigate against access to testing and prevention services. Moreover, successful reduction of STI transmission amongst MSM will necessitate a comprehensive range of approaches which address these multiple interrelated factors that underpin MSM's STI testing.

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Prevalence and Associated Factors of Unprotected Anal Intercourse with Regular Male Sex Partners among HIV Negative Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0119977 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. e0119977 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Dongliang Li ◽

Chunrong Li ◽

Zixin Wang ◽

Joseph T. F. Lau

Keyword(s):

Associated Factors ◽

Anal Intercourse ◽

Unprotected Anal Intercourse ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Male Sex ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Hiv Negative

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Sexual Communication Between Queer Partners

10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.1171 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brandon T. Parrillo ◽

Randal D. Brown

Keyword(s):

Family Planning ◽

Relationship Satisfaction ◽

Sexual Communication ◽

Safer Sex ◽

Well Being ◽

Sexual Pleasure ◽

Communication Research ◽

Hiv Status ◽

Sex Behaviors ◽

Sex With Men

Effective communication is vital to any relationship, and sexual communication is no different. Given its importance, sexual communication and its relation to a variety of topics has been studied in recent years. Included among these are its relation to safer sex behaviors, sexual and relationship satisfaction, and fertility and family planning among heterosexual partners. Yet, for queer partners, the data reflect interest in sexual communication as it relates to safe sex behaviors such as condom use and HIV status. Further, the current base of published literature on sexual communication among queer partners focuses almost exclusively on men who have sex with men and leaves out other types of queer partnerships. To be truly inclusive, it is imperative that sexual communication research broaden its focus to include topics that do not medicalize queer couples, such as sexual pleasure, satisfaction, and relationship well-being.

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Helping a Buddy Out

10.18574/nyu/9781479801091.003.0006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 141-157

Author(s):

Tony Silva

Keyword(s):

Sexual Identity ◽

Small Town ◽

Gay And Bisexual Men ◽

Sexual Practices ◽

Hooking Up ◽

Bisexual Men ◽

Male Sex ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Sex With Men ◽

Three Components

The men interviewed interpreted sex with men as compatible with heterosexuality and masculinity. What the author calls “bud-sex” is the way rural and small-town, white, straight men interpret or engage in sex in ways that reinforce their heterosexuality and masculinity. While the sex these men have with other men involves acts similar to those between gay and bisexual men, the meanings they attach to these acts differ greatly. Bud-sex has three components. First is hooking up with other masculine, white, and straight or bisexual men. Second is having secretive, nonromantic sex. And third is interpreting male-male sex as largely unthreatening to masculinity, heterosexuality, or marriage. Bud-sex, with its unique understandings of gender and sexual identity, reflects and reinforces the men’s embeddedness in straight culture. Sexual identity and masculinity depend on what sex acts mean, rather than on mere mechanics. Consequently, interpretations of sexual practices, not sexual practices in and of themselves, are crucially important. For the straight men interviewed, their interpretations both reflected and reinforced their embeddedness in straight culture. Bud-sex allows straight men to enjoy male-male sex without threatening either their heterosexuality or their masculinity.

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