Is Utah seeing a spike in the number of straight-identifying men having gay sexual relations?
According to Kristin Hodson, a sex therapist who founded the Rocky Mountain Sex Summit, the answer is: YES! And it’s a beautiful, beautiful thing.
“There’s been so much historic suppression in Utah,” Hodson, who also teaches human sexuality at the University of Utah, tells the Bristol Herald Courier. “People eventually get to a point where they realize sexuality is inherently who we are–it just is.”
“Everybody needs to feel community and connection and a sense of belonging, to know they’re not alone and that there’s nothing wrong with them. People have had enough of large institutions like the church and the Legislature telling them what is and is not OK.”
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She continues, “Growing up Mormon, your sexuality is defined for you, and the rules are set the moment you’re born. You’re straight–otherwise, they’ll tell you it’s just an attraction and you can overcome that.”
But these times they are a-changing.
Over the past year, Hodson says she’s seen a huge increase in people, many of whom have LDS backgrounds, coming to her office wanting to talk openly about sex.
“We’re seeing straight men who are wanting to have sex with other men, not because they’re gay, but because they want to have that experience,” she says.
“That moves sexuality out of the binary. Once people aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality, then they can engage in non-risky ways.”
Lynn Beltran, an STD and HIV epidemiology supervisor with the Salt Lake County Health Department, tells Bristol Herald Courier that people’s willingness to be more open about their sexual desires will have a positive impact on public health, in general.
“Dialogue helps them better moving forward, which is part of the effort to take away some of the shame about sex, especially in a place with such unique characteristics as Utah,” Beltran says.
The state has markedly high STD rates, which Beltran calls an “epidemic situation,” especially with syphilis and gonorrhea cases.
“There’s still a lot of struggling with attitudes about sex,” she says. “Burying our heads in the sand and ignoring it, that perpetuates this negative shaming culture.”
Related: Survey finds a surprising number of straight men have some pretty gay tendencies
DCguy
In other words, the internet has caused bi or gay people to come out of the closet or to start experimenting.
Please stop describing these people as Straight. It’s obvious clickbait.
JaredMacBride
There’s not a single quote from the therapist (yes, just one therapist) about straight people having “gay sex.”
radiooutmike
“We’re seeing straight men who are wanting to have sex with other men, not because they’re gay, but because they want to have that experience,” she says.
“That moves sexuality out of the binary. Once people aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality, then they can engage in non-risky ways.”
It is good that these straight guys can finally have the sex they want. It might move sexuality out of the binary– but it does not move them out from it. It’s still relegates alternative sexuality as a vacation from the usual experience; more like a kink or a fetish rather than a valid orientation. They still get to say, “No homo”.
Jaxton
This is not about the bisexual identity but about the homosexual impulse. All men have it.
Women fear it as men are empowered by it.
davio2
No – not all men have it -that is clickbait B.S. You are either gay or a closeted gay guy pretending to be straight. Also, while female bisexuality is not uncommon, true male bisexuality is VERY uncommon. Read the academic literature on the topic. It;s around .05%. EVERY single guy I know who has come out as “BI” has spent the rest of his life exclusively w/ men. Male bisexuality BARELY exists! Stop promoting this bullsh*t
Cylest Brooks
Davio2, you make an interesting point. Out of curiosity, can I ask your age?
I’m working out a theory about the ways that LGBTQ people talk about bisexuality/sexual fluidity/gender nonconformity based on their age. I’d be interested to know how your opinion fits into my theory!
CastleSF
Cylest, I think this davio2 is at least over 40 years old living in a non-urban area.
JerseyMike
I was str8 identifying too until I learn to love myself.
gaym50ish
Has Kinsey been relegated to the dustbin of history after 70 years? Did we learn nothing from his work? He used a six-point scale to describe sexuality, from zero (totally heterosexual) to six (totally homosexual). There is almost nobody who is at zero or six — most people are somewhere in between.
So it’s useless to argue over whether a person is actually straight and experimenting, or is gay and pretending to be straight, or is bisexual. Do you have to be at a Kinsey three or above to be bi?
We are who we are, no matter where we are on that scale. Gay guys I know have had sex with women but don’t hesitate to say they’re gay. Why does it surprise us when supposedly straight guys cross that line?
Record Man
There are people at the extremes of the Kinsey scale. I can tell you for absolute certain that I’m a 6.
Jaxton
Kinsey exposed the presence of heterosexuality and homosexuality in the same man. This terrifies modern liberals including women and gay-idemtifying men. That’s why they ignore him.
Kinsey conducted his research in a world where homosexual expression in men – not women – was punishable by imprisonment. It’s remarkable that he was able to get men to admit to a punishable offense..
Kinsey also did his research without using commercial pornography in his methods. This opposes modern sexuality research, a research that is heavily influenced by porn and its fake, paid-for scenarios and rules.
Caligari
“Straight men having gay sex” is not a thing. Straight men having gay sex are called “bi”, just like yellow and blue is “green”.
Nahald
Interesting in how a predominantly Mormon state we see guys having fun with other guys. Just how hypocritical are the Latter Day Saints ?