Prevalence of rape was documented at 14.5% among gay men and 11.3% for bisexual men. ( 2020) documented a lifetime prevalence of contact sexual violence among gay and bisexual men of approximately 38% and 39%, respectively. In their study of 41,174 adults in the US, Chen et al. Approximately 30%-47% of GBM report experiencing a sexual assault over their lifetime (Black et al., 2011 Chen et al., 2020 Rothman et al., 2011).
There has been growing scholarly interest in the topics of unwanted sex and sexual violence among gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) (Felix et al., 2021 De La Ossa, 2016 McKie et al., 2020 Salter et al., 2020 Sternin et al., 2021). This work must be situated within a broader understanding of how gender norms and hegemonic masculinity, racism, HIV status, and other power imbalances affect sexual decision-making, consent, pleasure, and sexual harm.
Many believed that unwanted sex is unavoidable among GBM: if “you’re gay, it’s just what happens.” Targeted education aimed at GBM communities that incorporates insights on GBM sexual subcultures is necessary. Participants held themselves responsible for needing to be more assertive within sexual encounters to avoid coercion. Biomedical advances in HIV prevention such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and undetectable viral load affected how some participants felt about sexual autonomy and safety. These notions were enforced by homophobic discourses on the one hand, and counter discourses of sexual liberation, resistance to heteronormativity, hegemonic masculinity, and HIV prevention on the other. The idea that gay or queer sex is inherently risky and unique from heterosexual relations made negotiating sexual safety challenging. Participants drew on discourse from the #MeToo movement to reconsider the ethics of past sexual experiences. Our grounded theory analysis derives from in-depth interviews conducted with 24 gay, bisexual, queer, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) living in Toronto, Canada, to understand their experiences of sexual coercion.