Relaxing the straight male anus: Decreasing homohysteria around anal eroticism

Abstract

This study examines the practice and perception of receptive anal eroticism among 170 heterosexual undergraduate men in a US university. We analyze the social stigmas on men’s anal pleasure through the concept of homohysteria, which describes a cultural myth that the wrongdoing of gender casts homosexual suspicion onto heterosexual men. For men’s anal eroticism, this means that only gay, emasculated or gender deviant men are thought to enjoy anal pleasure. We suggest, however, that decreasing homohysteria has begun to erode this cultural ‘ban’ on anal stimulation for straight men. Our data finds self-identified straight university-aged men questioning cultural narratives that conflate anal receptivity with homosexuality and emasculation. We also show that 24 percent of our respondents have, at least once, received anal pleasure. These results suggest that cultural taboos around men’s anal pleasure may be shifting for younger men and the boundaries of straight identity expanding. We call for further research to clarify how anal erotic norms are shifting among men of different racial, geographic, socioeconomic, and age demographics, and to determine how these shifts may foster more pluralistic and inclusive views of gender and sexuality.

Full text

Relaxing the Straight-Male Anus:
Decreasing Homohysteria around Anal Eroticism
This study represents the first-ever examination of the practice and frequency of receptive
anal eroticism among 170 heterosexual undergraduate men in a U.S. university. We show
that 24% of our respondents have, at least once, received anal pleasure. Because we have
found no previous comprehensive studies on this practice, we cannot claim that young
men today are more likely to experience their own anal eroticism than men of generations
past. However, we also analyse the older literature on social stigma regarding
heterosexual men’s anal pleasuring, comparing it to this sample. Here, we highlight a
profound attitudinal change, decoupling the male anus from homosexuality. While
scientific and popular belief throughout the twentieth century cast anal pleasure as only
for gay, emasculated or gender deviant men, we show it partially normalized among
heterosexual undergraduate male culture today: Our data finds self-identified straight
university-aged men questioning cultural narratives that conflate anal receptivity with
homosexuality and emasculation. We analyse this data through the concept of
homohysteria, which describes a cultural myth that the wrongdoing of gender casts
homosexual suspicion onto heterosexual men. Further, we call for further research on the
practices of older men reflecting upon their undergraduate sexual practices so that we
may more fully understand how shifting anal erotic norms may be altering actual sexual
behaviour.


Introduction


 !"#$%&&'(
)*%&&+',
-./0,1
,2
3(
2 !#$%&&#
 !"',4
'.'#%'
3,
5
2 !#$%&&#6)4
%&%',
//7
$6
8%&&',$7
9,%&&!'(
2:;,
/.94
%&+'7

-0-0,
%

6)4%&%',<
(7

,:
4%&
(
,
8
7%&& '=
=

/
,924% of our heterosexual participants had engaged in
receptive anal play. O
3
,(


>7,
Gender, Sexuality and Sexual Stigma
:?)
,:-0
+

@A !B'

,

)45 !',:


7,
7
/
.)%&C#5
 !C',: 7

$%&&',)4%&&!'

,
7>7%&&!'

',
#

4-0'
1 C',6
C

.)
%&C'
,

D/
E
FG#4@,
1(A! &%++',
$7

/2%&&B',
Homohysteria and the Fear of Anal Sex
%&& '
73
$1%&C',
2
,
* ',



,2A)
"

%&%'
,3

,

(,
1(
/H !!',

any /and /,%&& '

/
,
6/2 IC'
66
'%&&!'
one-time ruleof homosexuality,
(7//
,2
,)45 !%'
4
=
I


,
/
/,
4
(* ',
./
/:
((and  
,3
(3
J
)45 !',
.
/,@
7
-0/'-0
,:
#
,7

 !"#2 !#$%&&',
B

Decreasing Sexual Stigma
/
 !& &
?,),$1%&C',5
,
/
6%&&!'
 (;E7)%&%'8%&+'
H(%&&%'6@)$%&'$D%&&%'
;%&+',
/5%&%',

%&&B'
)/
;%&+',$1%&C'
?)
4,8
5%&%'

C"6! K,:
 &@
8L%&C'% K,)
CB"B"/
!


&K%&C',8
)L
7
(
,2.94%&+'/

,)
7,
Method
Participants
*/%%!

B&/,
$??)%&&&
,7
,
:

.))
(
,$

,.

==
?),
)
,
,7
:56C"(
,)(
,;(
,
:L%&
((
,)
,
2
7,
6((:56/
,7
(!%+'#
#,1
%&,",!&K#9
&

 K'
K,
Measures and Coding
H/
,1H(
,8

,9I’m ashamed of
exploring anal pleasureI’m ashamed that I enjoy being anally penetrated,
())*))
,:/H

/+'C'"/B',
74
,8
-Straight men can't enjoy anal pleasure0,
6,


-0
-0',


E/(,8

,/
,8-$
0-6M
0
-Men are afraid they’ll be perceived as gay.05

,/,,
-:0-:0-It felt good,0'

,5
,
/,,-/0-3
0-I associate it with homosexuality0',?
(-:
0-
0-Being penetrated is seen as a
homosexual act0,
Homosexualisation of the Male Anus
,$
nNI% "K'7
%

B%KnN%+',E
-:,0:KnN%&'

,
5
nN""+IK'nNB+
C!K',6nN',2
nN%CIK'
,


,
,EI
73nNB%I%K'
#BKnN!'4
7,:%&KnN%C'
,
-
,0-
0-3
,0
+

-:,:O:
',:
,0
24
,IIK
 "KnNI'

,8!&KnN+I'
-Any guy who enjoys being anally penetrated during sex is probably gay.0
E-:>7:
:,:
'P0H
-J
,0
-.Q
0,-9
37,0
=
((
3,
)4
/3"KnN!'
-Straight men can’t enjoy anal pleasure” %CKnNC'
C

-Only gay men like to be anally stimulated or penetrated during sex,0
$%+KnN+ '-In men, I think anal pleasure is
homosexual pleasure,0

,-Real men don’t like to be anally penetrated
during sex,0 KnN+%',
/
 K
,
83

,4nN" +"K'-Many straight men
like to be anally stimulated during sex.02nN%C
CK'-Many straight men like to be anally penetrated during
sex0-0,

,
Personal Practices and Experiences
E
Once in the pastAt least once a monthAt least once a week,:
Rub my own rectumUse a finger to
anally penetrate myself,
"

nNC&%CK',IKnN%!'
,2"KnN '
,
E&KnNB'
,:
-It felt good0nN"+K'-I was surprised0
nN%%"K'-I went along with it0nN&%K',E-:
,02
,8-:
,:,:O
,0
5
,,//,'
,D
,8
-H,0
E+BI!KnN%"'
"KnN%'-,0E%
-#0
:O:
,:
,:
P
I

-:,0
E/
C&KnN"',2
C!KnN!',E-:
:3:70-:
,0$-:
(,0

,
-Just not interested0DN%"% K'
-It sounds physically painful/uncomfortable0nN"BK'-I feel
uncomfortable with the idea of anal play0nN%CK',2
nN++,"K'nN'
,
)
,
E-0
-:O,:3,0
-:O,01
-:O,)O/J'
:O,::)2)F)2)G,0
(
/,B KnN+"'
B

-I'd be embarrassed to ask a female partner to anally
penetrate me (i.e. with a finger),0R
,E-$
(O,01
-,:O,0
-@
,0-:O
:
,0
Discussion
#
%&C',
5/
,,$1%&%'#
%&"',
%&&!'/
#6
5%&%'@,%&C'%&C'
/
,$1%&C'
/,

!

7
%&&#$1%&C'
///%&"',
,8
/7
,(
=
'=
7
3,

(,
7
,,'
J( !"#2
 !#$%&&'3
#
,
7
=
(,:
-0,


6%&&'

,6?,),

=7
=
-0
,
:
/,3
/6%&&!' (;
E7)%&%'8%&+'H(%&&%'6@)$
%&'$D%&&%';%&+'
/5%&%'
/
=
(7,


$%&&'/B&
3,

=
%&

-0=3
,/
#
,

,8
4
(
,*
,
)3/

&K,:


,
E/
,:
,
,
'
The SopranosBroad City
,S
%

@
)Bend over Boyfriend
The Daily Show.S

-0
,
8///

(
>
74
4,:
7
-0
,:.
'#
.
,
$3
3(,
:7
(
,E6
%%

)4%&%'
7,:
4
(
,D
(
,
%+

References
L !"'),
Journal of Homosexuality,%'B"/ I,
9%&&!'-6,,,0
/,Sex Roles
"!/%'&C/",
9%&& 'Inclusive masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities,
H5,
9%&C'21st Century Jocks: Sporting Men and Contemporary
Heterosexuality,6*$,
95:%&%'-::0
6,Archives
of Sexual BehaviorC%'C%/C+&,
6,%&&',*O,Journal of
HomosexualitySC'&+/ ,
6A%&&!'Hooking up: Sex, dating, and Relationships on Campus,D<
D<?*,
6L9)4)%&%'O1
-0,American Journal of Sexuality
EducationBC'C&C/C%!,
1.%&&C'TTO
H,,GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies&+'"& /"+!,
@$8)9L@,%&C'2
,SJournal of SociologySCC&B!+++"!%",
9$1L1/@4)H$A$@41
$A%&&!'O:
,AIDS Education & Prevention%&%'C!/" ,
8A%&+'*.L.),
H$@5UH*,
.19%&+'SThe Ultimate Guide to Prostate Pleasure: Erotic
Exploration for Men and Their Partners,D<1*,
%C

.A)18%&C'
,Journal of Experimental
PsychologyC+C'I&&/I",
2) !'The Hite Report on Male Sexuality,D<A,
A)95%&%'.(
 &,Journal of homosexuality"  '+&B/+%I,
AL2! &'*9
,5JJ
,JJ&&
A$9@A !B'.2
,Psychology of Women Quarterly'!+/ I,
H5D !!')33
D,Ethnology/%",
HL%&&'O4 B+ !,
American Sociological ReviewBI%/B!%,
$5*%&&'SThe Technology of Orgasm:" Hysteria," the Bibrator, and Women's
Sexual Satisfaction,L2?*,
$1$%&%'The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys
are Redefining Masculinity and Heterosexuality,HE?
*,
$1$9%&C'7
?),Sex
RolesB+/C'& /%&,
$1$9%&C'191E
96$,SociologyE8&&+!&+!"+"!!",
$6A58L@%&&'2
,SJournal of sex researchCB%/+'%+/+I,
$L%&&'Anal Pleasure and Health: A Guide for Men, Women, and Couples, C
,61@*,
* 'Real Boys: Rescuing our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood,D<
$,
%"

*6 'TE$940),SJournal of Sport
& Social IssuesS%+C'+B+/+! ,
5. !C'Thinking Sex,/%IB',
)/51;V%&+'$
,Developmental
Review++'"!/!!,
)4*;5 !'The Gender of Sexuality,D<5U
H*,
)1*8*L%&&+'The Joy of Gay Sex,D<2
5,
)4)S9%&%',D,SSexual
and Relationship TherapyS%B+'+&/+&%
)4)%&&!'19O,
Berkley Journal of Gender, Law, and Justice%++ %/C%+,
;)E7)H8%&%'
,SJournal of Youth and AdolescenceSC"'
"B%/"!%,
;:%&+'*$
,SJournal of Sex ResearchS"&'/I,
L,%&",D.)6)$,D<D<
?*,
L%&&B'The World we Have Won: The Remaking of Erotic and Intimate Life,
H5,
$%&'STechniques of Pleasure: BDSM and the Circuits of Sexuality,D
1@?*,
%I