Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

SAGE Publications, American Journal of Men's Health, 6(6), p. 505-518, 2012

DOI: 10.1177/1557988312455214

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Butch Tops and Femme Bottoms? Sexual Positioning, Sexual Decision Making, and Gender Roles Among Young Gay Men

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Gender and power are theoretical constructs linked to discussions of sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS among heterosexual couples. Despite the fact that HIV rates are rising among young men who have sex with men in the United States, work examining the role of gender in sexual decision making of young men who have sex with men remains in its infancy. Through qualitative interviews with 34 young gay men (YGM), the authors seek to contribute to the literature in this area by focusing on the ways that YGM understand and enact sexual positions during anal sex. The authors’ results highlight the diversity of YGM’s sexual preferences, as well as the high degree of sexual fluidity. Ideas of gender appear to inform part of this process; however, YGM critiqued conventional gender norms and emphasized the centrality of relationships (i.e., casual vs. romantic) in their sexual decision making. The authors discuss the importance of considering gender and interpersonal factors when designing HIV/AIDS prevention messages for YGM.