Perhaps the line between heterosexual and homosexual males isn’t as distinct as one might imagine.
In a recent study, 21 percent of men who self-identified as “straight” admitted watching gay porn within the previous six months. Fifty-five percent of self-identified gay men admitted viewing straight porn. Bisexual men, as might be expected, reported watching both gay and straight porn at similar rates: 96 percent gay porn and 88.3 percent straight porn.
Researchers said they weren’t surprised by the gay results. Previous scientific research — and certainly plenty of anecdotal data in the real world — indicates many gay men find heterosexual or hyper-masculine gay men attractive. In fact, an entire subgenre of gay porn is devoted to satisfying fantasies of straight-guy seduction.
While they may not have predicted the exact percentage of straight men who watch gay porn, the study’s findings were well within a predictable range, the lead researcher indicated.
“Sexual attractions and behaviors are more than just identity,” Martin J. Downing PhD told Cosmopolitan.
Downing also told the magazine the study rendered results some hetero men would consider shocking: It’s “common” for men who identify as heterosexual to be attracted to other men — or even engage in male-male sexual encounters.
Although the data about sexual identity and porn preferences is interesting, even more intriguing — especially with a vote on California’s Proposition 60 looming — is what the study revealed about gay men’s opinions of condoms in porn.
When viewing gay porn, 64.4 percent of gay men said they preferred bareback, or condomless, action, 29.2 percent didn’t care whether condoms were visible and 6.4 percent indicated they prefer to view performers wearing condoms.
Among gay men who watch penis-to-vagina straight porn, the figures were significantly different: 50.5 percent preferred to watch scenes without visible condoms, 45.1 percent said they didn’t care and 4.3 percent reported a distinct preference for protected sex.
Published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, the study involved 821 men.
