| Anal sex among gay/bisexual men and lesbians The practice is thought to have been so common in Ancient Greece that the term "Greek love" was used to refer to the practice, and in modern times, "Greek" is sometimes used as gay slang for anal sex. The view that homosexual anal sex was widely accepted in Ancient Greece is widely disputed. Some literature has argued that the important social transgression was lowering oneself socially, that is, a high status person was not supposed to be penetrated by a lower status person, and thus passive anal intercourse by men was frowned upon in Ancient Greece and considered a serious moral transgression. Certainly, male passive anal intercourse was (officially) frowned-upon in Rome. Others have argued that in Greece, rather than anal sex, male-male couples actually engaged in non-penetrative interfemoral intercourse. However, this view is widely disputed. It has been argued that the alleged ancient aversion to male passive anal intercourse has fueled the long-standing moral disapproval of homosexuality. In other cultures, notably Japan, records (including detailed woodblock prints) leave no question that male-male couples did engage in penetrative anal intercourse. In modern times, anal sex is popularly associated with gay men, and studies (Lauman, for example) claim that about 80% of gay men in the United States have engaged in anal sex. Because the actual number of men who identify as gay is unknown, however, this figure is questionable. The actual number of men who identify as bisexual is even more ambiguous. Not all gay/bi men regularly engage in anal sex or find it pleasurable, however. It may be that some gay/bi men try anal sex once or a few times and then rarely if ever engage in the practice, and others may never try it at all. Some may reserve it only for committed relationships. Since data on gay (or bi) sexual behavior tends to arouse such controversy, it is difficult to make solid claims in this area. While some gay/bi male couples comprise an "active" partner and a "receptive" partner (a top and a bottom) this is not true of all gay/bi couples who practice anal sex: many gay/bi men who have anal sex both "top" and "bottom" at different times, also known as "versatile" or "switch." Gay culture generally does not make a distinction between the penetrative and the receptive partner in defining who counts as "gay": both tops and bottoms who have sex exclusively with men are considered gay. Several gay slang terms are generally reserved for anal sex between two males, such as "barebacking" which refers to unprotected anal intercourse. Some gay/bi (and straight) couples engage in "felching," where the top sucks out the semen he has deposited in the anus of the bottom as a result of "bareback" anal intercourse. Like rimming, this practice carries with it considerable health risks. It should be noted that some lesbians also practice anal sex, using fingers or sex toys, but it is not known precisely how prevalent the practice is.
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Anal Cross-dressing Sex group Human sexual behavior Masturbation |