Born to Bottom?

In Jezebel, Rich Juzwiak discusses two research studies from the University of Toronto Mississauga that look at biological determinants of penetrative sex roles.

GAY MEN AS A MONOLITHIC GROUP

While there are a host of biological (and other) theories and factors regarding homosexual orientation, Juzwiak writes that they “tend to have one thing in common: they treat gay men as a monolithic group.”

The research team from UT Mississauga “has investigated variation within the population of gay men based on their anal-sex roles (that is bottom, or receptive, top, or penetrative, and versatile, or both receptive and penetrative depending on circumstance).

The results of two of their studies suggest there very well could be biological subgroups of gay men.”

SOCIAL OR BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

The studies are different because anal-sex role has been usually viewed as a result of social factors rather than biological factors.

Plus, Juzwiak indicates that the top / bottom binary persists in gay culture despite “every study I’ve read that asks about the anal-sex role of its respondents has found that the majority men who have sex with men identify as versatile (including the two studies at hand from the UT team) as well as my own anecdotal experience suggesting as much.”

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Featured image by Levi Saunders | Unsplash

Friday September 24, 2021