"White, Tall, Top, Masculine, Muscular": Narratives of Intracommunity Stigma in Young Sexual Minority Men's Experience on Mobile Apps

Exploring the Relationships Between Body Image, Sexual Well-Being, and Community Connectedness among Gay, Bisexual and Queer+ Men

Sexual minority (SM) men are more likely than heterosexual men to experience body dissatisfaction due to prevailing body ideals (e.g. lean and muscular) within the SM community. Negative body image can have harmful effects on well-being, and, by extension, sexual well-being. The current study aimed to investigate whether SM men's minority identification and LGBTQ+ community connectedness moderates the relationship between drives for muscularity and sexual anxiety. To address this aim, 298 Australian-residing SM men completed an online survey that examined drive for muscularity, sexual anxiety, and connectedness or identification with the LGBTQ+ and SM-specific communities. As hypothesized, the results showed a positive relationship between drive for muscularity and sexual anxiety. Additionally, LGBTQ+ community connectedness, but importantly not SM identification, was found to moderate this relationship, showing a positive association only when connection was at low or average levels. These results highlight the beneficial effects that LGBTQ+ community connection can have for SM men, such as protecting them against the harmful impacts of poor body image on sexual well-being. These results also provide preliminary insights into the need to expand the understandings of bodily diversity, and diversity of sexual well-being experiences, among SM men less connected to the broader LGBTQ+ community.

On liking how you look and feeling sexy: Quantifying the overlap between sexual desirability and body satisfaction in a sample of Australian Grindr users

The body image field aims to cultivate positive body image. To do so, it must appreciate factors contributing to positive body image. Sexual desirability is one such factor. Using experience sampling data from Australian Grindr users, we aimed to quantify the overlap between sexual desirability and body satisfaction. We found sexual desirability and body satisfaction correlated strongly between- (r = .90) and within-persons (rMedian =.60). Using dynamic structural equation modeling, we analyzed 238 participants' data (T = 9058), finding that sexual desirability and body satisfaction were bidirectionally related - previous sexual desirability predicted current body satisfaction (β = 0.22) and vice versa (β = 0.17). Participants' average body satisfaction tended to be higher when sexual desirability contributed more to body satisfaction (r = .31) and was more stable across time (r = .19). We found sexual desirability and body satisfaction overlap considerably and that sexual desirability may contribute more to body satisfaction than vice versa. Our results suggest that (1) sexual desirability and its dynamics across time influence body satisfaction, and (2) research on sexual desirability and its relationship with body image should be a focus for the field. We discuss avenues for future research on sexual desirability.

Whose Role is It Anyway? Sexual Racism and Sexual Positioning Among Young Sexual Minority Black Men

Racialized Sexual Discrimination (RSD), also referred to as "sexual racism," is widely reported among young sexual minority Black men (YSMBM). Though RSD is driven in part by sexual scripts and racial stereotypes, little is known about YSMBM's experiences with RSD with respect to their sexual positioning roles. Using data from a cross-sectional web-survey of YSMBM (N = 726), a multivariate Kruskal Wallis test was conducted comparing YSMBM who identified as mostly bottom, versatile, or mostly top, on the degree to which they were affected by four RSD experiences, as well as the frequency with which they encountered these experiences. Men identifying as mostly bottom reported significantly stronger negative reactions to same-race rejection and encountering sexual role assumptions than men identifying as mostly top. Men identifying as versatile encountered same-race rejection significantly more frequently than men identifying as mostly top. Men identifying as mostly bottom encountered White superiority significantly more frequently than men identifying as mostly top. RSD may impact YSMBM differentially based on sexual position. These findings may have implications for culturally competent clinical practice, as well as analytic implications (e.g., estimating more complex statistical models) for sexual racism research, which remains an important yet underexamined field in the health sciences.

Safe on Blued? A Qualitative Exploration of Sex, Risk, and Stigma on a Gay Social Application in China

Introduction

Mobile dating apps emerged with the development of technology, for example, Blued in China, becoming a new risk field for gay men in the AIDS era. Users use social apps to chat online and date offline to achieve the satisfaction of lust or sexual practice, but the risk of AID looms over the whole process of using apps.

Methods

Nineteen interviewees were invited to participate in this study, which included gay men who were using or had used Blued. The content of the semi-structured interviews focused on the relationship between gay social apps and HIV risk.

Results

The study finds Blued interweaved with sex, risk, and stigma. Blued is sexualized due to sexual intentions and practices. There is also a sexual stratification of risk with Blued and its users based on socioeconomic factors. Users experience a dilemma between pursuing sex while being concerned about latent risk within a context of stigmatization.

Conclusions

Blued is sexualized in terms of the process of stimulating sexual gratification and facilitating sexual practices. The experience of Blued is an example of sexual stratification, and a structure of desire based on app users and app uses. Furthermore, the social stigma against men who have sex with men is transferred to Blued, which bears the stigma of "AIDS-Blued" with a dual stigma-HIV-related and homosexual stigma. However, with the authorized approval of Blued in public health, Blued could play an essential role in HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Motivation, Appearance Focus, and Exclusion on Gay Dating App "Blued" in China: Content and Network Analysis of Textual Self-Presentation

Blued is the most popular gay dating app among Chinese sexual minority men. This study explored the textual self-presentation of the profiles on Blued in terms of motivation, appearance focus, and exclusion. A total of 10,000 profiles were randomly selected from a dataset of 197,516 profiles using an interval sampling method. A total of 230 features were developed, and six themes were extracted from 4,881 profiles based on content analysis. The themes were motivation, personal information, partner preference, partner non-preference, sexual preference, and communication preference. Body and age were the most commonly mentioned self-presentations, followed by attractiveness and masculinity. Self-presentations largely focused on the users' photos are prominent on Blued. Exclusion against those who were "overweight," "elderly," "unattractive," and "effeminate" was common. Network analysis was used to analyze and visualize the co-occurrence of these features. Appearance focus and exclusion features were linked with both "hookup" and "no hookup" motivations. Photo-focused communication was linked to the exclusion of others. "No hookup" motivation was associated with more social motivation (e.g., making friends and chatting) and trait-focused communication (e.g., being polite and permanent). "Hookup" motivation was associated with genital presentations (i.e., "big penis" and "like big penis"). Most self-presentation features of sexual preference were sexual role-specific. The results indicate a widespread focus on appearance and exclusion on Blued, which may negatively affect the mental health of Chinese sexual minority men.

Status, sexual capital, and intraminority body stigma in a size-diverse sample of gay men

Gay men are more likely than heterosexual men to experience social pressure based on body weight, shape, and muscularity, which may drive disparities in body image concerns and eating disorders. Utilizing a sample of 1723 gay men living in the United States, the present study examined whether sociodemographic factors (used as proxies for status and sexual capital) and frequency of attending gay-specific establishments or gatherings (community involvement) were associated with gay men's experiences of negative or discriminatory pressures based on body size and shape specifically from other gay men (intraminority body stigma). Experiences of intraminority body stigma were significantly more common among gay men who identified as higher-weight (r = 0.28), less masculine (r = -0.21), less wealthy (r = -0.21), younger (r = -0.21), or people of color (ds = 0.25-0.28). Furthermore, indicators of low status and sexual capital were indirectly associated with less frequent community involvement via more frequent experiences of intraminority body stigma. In addition to frequency, the valence of interactions between gay men should be considered when assessing body image and eating disorder risk in this population. Future research is encouraged to examine intraminority body stigma as an intersectional source of intraminority stress to inform prevention and treatment efforts for gay men.

Black Sexual Minority Men's Stigma-Based Experiences Surrounding Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in the Southern United States

Purpose: Intersecting experiences of stigma related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) influence PrEP uptake among Black sexual minority men (BSMM) living in the southern United States; however, it is unclear what stigmatized identities and behaviors are impacted when accessing human immunodeficiency virus prevention options. To inform identity-specific PrEP interventions, this study examined stigma in BSMM's lives relating to intersecting experiences of PrEP stigma. Methods: We conducted 32 virtual, semistructured qualitative interviews with BSMM residing in the southeastern United States between February and April 2019. Results: We identified three themes (anticipated stigma, experiences of prejudice and stereotyping, and negative attitudes) and one subtheme within negative attitudes (othering social/sexual groups). Across all themes, PrEP stigma was often manifested through stigma against BSMM's sexual orientation or sexual behavior. BSMM in othering social/sexual groups displayed instances of cognitive dissonance by regularly expressing negative attitudes about and explicitly distancing themselves from social/sexual groups based on sexual orientation and sexual behavior. BSMM's race and gender were rarely mentioned as being stigmatized. Conclusions: Interventions focused on PrEP use could benefit from expanding their definition of PrEP stigma to include a stronger emphasis on intersecting identities and work to reduce cognitive dissonance in BSMM in the form of internalized homophobia.

Online Dating and Mental Health among Young Sexual Minority Black Men: Is Ethnic Identity Protective in the Face of Sexual Racism?

Racialized Sexual Discrimination (RSD), also known as 'sexual racism,' is pervasive within online dating venues. RSD is associated with poor mental health outcomes among young sexual minority Black men (YSMBM), and there is limited research on factors that may mitigate this association. Ethnic identity has been identified as a potential protective factor for racial/ethnic minorities who encounter racialized stressors, though some evidence suggests that ethnic identity may also intensify the negative effects of racial discrimination. Using data from a cross-sectional web-survey of YSMBM (n = 690), a series of linear regression models were estimated to examine the moderating effect of ethnic identity search and ethnic identity commitment on the relationship between RSD and depressive symptoms/feeling of self-worth. Results indicated that having moderate-to-high scores on commitment attenuated the association between being physically objectified by White men and higher depressive symptoms. However, having high scores on commitment intensified the association between being rejected by Black men and lower feelings of self-worth. Stronger identity commitment may be protective against objectification from White men, though it may also exacerbate negative outcomes related to in-group discrimination. These findings may have important implications for the development of individual and group-level interventions addressing ethnic identity among YSMBM.

Minority Stress and Loneliness in a Global Sample of Sexual Minority Adults: The Roles of Social Anxiety, Social Inhibition, and Community Involvement

Research suggests that loneliness among sexual minority adults is associated with marginalization, but it is unclear which processes may underlie this relationship. This cross-sectional study examined five possibilities: stigma preoccupation, internalized homonegativity, sexual orientation concealment, social anxiety, and social inhibition. The study also examined the possible protective role of LGBTQ community involvement. Respondents were 7856 sexual minority adults aged 18-88 years from 85 countries who completed an online survey. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that marginalization was positively associated with both social and emotional loneliness, and that part of this relationship was indirect via proximal minority stress factors (especially stigma preoccupation) and, in turn, social anxiety and social inhibition. Moreover, while LGBTQ community involvement was associated with greater marginalization, it was also associated with lower levels of proximal stress and both forms of loneliness. Among those who were more involved in the LGBTQ community, the associations between marginalization and proximal stress were somewhat weaker, as were those between stigma preoccupation and social anxiety, and between social inhibition and social loneliness. In contrast, the associations between concealment and social anxiety were somewhat stronger. Model fit and patterns of association were similar after controlling for the possible confounding effect of dispositional negative affectivity, but several coefficients were lower. Findings underscore the continuing need to counter marginalization of sexual minorities, both outside and within the LGBTQ community, and suggest possible avenues for alleviating loneliness at the individual level, such as cognitive-behavioral interventions targeting stigma preoccupation and social anxiety.