Are gay men hypersexual?

Bodies before personalities?

Sending someone a D-pic is often considered scandalous in the straight world. However, like on the hit show ‘Naked Attraction’, gay dating often begins with nudity, and many long-term gay relationships have originated from casual sexual encounters. 

The album feature on Grindr allows you to share anything you want, and many users don’t even bother including their name or face in their profile. And it’s not only for reasons of discretion; it just seems unimportant for many.

But it’s a myth! Or is it?

A study by three universities during the 2022 mpox outbreak found that gay and bisexual men over 70 were more likely to have multiple recent sexual partners compared to straight men of the same age. This suggests that while straight individuals become less sexually active with age, older queer men continue to engage in sex with multiple partners.

So, clearly, the numbers speak for themselves. If not just a myth rooting from prejudice, what causes this behaviour?

Making up for lost time

A big part of it might be in the growing-up experience. Many gay men start being intimate later in life. It’s like going through your first crushes and romantic experiences when everyone else has already been there.

But catching up can’t go on forever! No matter how long it takes, eventually, you’ve got to do it! Right?

We never knew better!

The fairytales we grew up with never included a happily ever after that wasn’t exclusively heteronormative. We’ve never had this societal ideal that ends with marriage, family, and growing old together with our one and only.

It seems like the only example of gay representation in our lives is purely sexual. Even the term homosexual subconsciously directs our thoughts towards sexuality rather than focusing on identity.

Many gay men experience shame around not being this sexual machine that we’re often depicted as or encouraged to be. We are usually represented in one way: hyper-sexual, with abs, in leather, or showcasing some other kink.

Todd Baratz, LMHC

A possible reason for the high scores of hypersexuality among LGBTQ men could be that these men have to face more obstacles when dating and forming romantic relationships than heterosexuals, therefore it is easier to them to masturbate, to access pornography, and/or to have casual relationships. Another explanation could be related to the stereotypes, negative discrimination, and critiques LGBTQ men have to deal with in their everyday life.

Dr. Mark Griffiths

It’s transparency, not promiscuity!

A study by San Francisco-based Gay Therapy Center found that 30% of the 517 interviewed gay men were in an open relationship. That’s a significant proportion!

One could say this means gay men are more sexually active and struggle to be monogamous…

But isn’t it more likely that gay men are simply more transparent? Instead of all the cheating and hurting that straight men engage in, gay guys are open about their sexual preferences and leave no room for secrecy?

So, what do you think? Are gay men more sexual than our straight peers?