If you thought a highly contagious, deadly respiratory virus would stop gay and bisexual men from hooking up, you thought wrong. At least, according to a new study by the Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, University of Michigan.
Researchers surveyed 518 gay and bisexual men, aged 18 or over, who they recruited on Grindr, Facebook, and Instagram. They found that 64% of them didn’t think the COVID-19 virus was cause for scaling back in the bedroom, and 50% didn’t even know they could catch it from a sexual partner.
To be clear: While there is currently no evidence to suggest coronavirus can be transmitted through semen, it can be passed through kissing, analingus, or simply being in close contact with an infected person.
The authors of the study believe the uptick in gay and bisexual men hooking up has to do with them simply trying not to go crazy during what has proven to be one hell of a stressful year.
“Both increased sexual activity and substance use may be coping strategies for the stress of living in lockdown,” they write, noting that guys who reported an increase in substance use were also “significantly more likely to report increases in number of sex partners, anal sex partners and unprotected sex partners.”
“These increases in substance and alcohol use may reflect more opportunities for use (while confined to the home and not in a workplace settings) and may also reflect an increase in negative coping behaviors in response to high levels of stress and uncertainty during the epidemic.”
From the Mayo Clinic:
If you are sexually active with someone outside of your household, consider these precautions to reduce your risk of getting the COVID-19 virus:
- Minimize the number of sexual partners you have.
- Avoid sex partners who have symptoms of COVID-19.
- Avoid kissing.
- Avoid sexual behaviors that have a risk of fecal-oral transmission or that involve semen or urine.
- Use condoms and dental dams during oral and anal sex.
- Wear a mask during sexual activity.
- Wash your hands and shower before and after sexual activity.
- Wash sex toys before and after using them.
- Use soap or alcohol wipes to clean the area where you have sexual activity.
bubsi
WTF. 50% didn’t know they could catch it from a sexual partner? I had my suspicion people were stupid. But that’s just disappointing
WashDrySpin
There are a lot of stupid gay people…
Brian
What’s disappointing is the readers here and your inability to think critically about this study. You can’t distinguish good science from bad science or non-science.
They recruited people who were using Grindr during a pandemic to talk about Grindr. That’s like going to a Trump rally to ask about masks. They added bias into their sample at the outset, by design.
Donston
Another “study” that’s a bit difficult to buy. Most dudes who are into dudes are not on Grindr. Most same-sex couples have honkers down throughout most of this year. And studies on “queers” should all be side-eyed to some degree. While 500 randoms from social media isn’t much of a pool.
I do feel like some people who don’t have legit family and/or friends are having more difficult mental struggles during this time. I also feel like some are leaning on sex, drugs, alcohol, partying, being “subversive” as coping mechanisms. But a lot of those people were using those things as coping mechanisms before quarantine.
1898
518 is a pretty small sample size, and if most of those guys are from grindr, it’s not at all representative of gay/bi men in general. if you recruit people from a hookup app, then of course you’re going to get responses from people who are hooking up. that’s just common sense. that’s like recruiting survey participants from a liquor store and then acting surprised that a lot of them consume alcohol
WashDrySpin
My husband and I have been banging each other at least 4 times a week sometimes twice a day, it is the best thing about the pandemic for us
Liquid Silver
The selection process is…questionable, let’s just put it that way and leave it at that.
I will say, what with the stress of this whole period, my husband and I have been rather active. We’re both home, so means, motive, opportunity.
Center_Right
It just shows that most gay men are obsessed with sex and anonymous online hookups. They have no trouble putting themselves and others in Covid and other STD danger. If these guys end up getting the Covid, the hospitals should refuse to treat them and just send them home because they deserve to get these nasty infections.
Prax07
I kinda believe it. I’m on several different apps, mainly out of boredom brought on by my belief in staying socially distant, and partially because I just like getting unsolicited dick pics, and there are still big numbers of guys looking to hook up ASAP. That freaks me out that so many, especially guys that are in the medical field, are not being more serious about it. We have three local hospitals and a medical college in my city and so many guys post pics of themselves in their scrubs and they’re looking for Now. It’s scary.
Center_Right
Sadly lots of gay men have no shame and are sex crazed.
Morg
if you think ppl are gonna stop having sex because of a “pandemic” youre crazy.
Tommy73
Yes, was true for me, I still had to go out for sex with random guys, sorry, gotta have it