Nearly HALF of gay men turned to porn to learn about sex

Jun 07 2016
Written by Nick Duffy

Nearly half of gay and bisexual men say they turned to pornography to ‘learn’ about gay sex.

There is currently no statutory requirement in the UK for sex and relationship education to be LGBT-inclusive, and even where LGBT content is included, much of the specific sex provisions in schools are focussed on protection for ‘penis in vagina’ intercourse.

A survey conducted by gay men’s health charity GMFA via FS Magazine this week showed a shocking number of gay and bisexual men are turning to pornography for ‘education’.

The survey of 1,023 men who have sex with men (MSM) found that 82% reported that they got no education about gay sex in school.

Many of the respondents say they turned to porn – with 41% learning about anal sex through pornography, and 34% learning about oral sex through pornography.

Campaigners warn that using porn in this way can promote unsafe or risky practices, as well as unrealistic expectations.

13% of respondents said that they had unprotected sex after watching bareback porn – while 56% of respondents said they found bareback porn more “appealing”.

Matthew Hodson of gay men’s health charity GMFA told PinkNews in a statement: “It’s a damning indictment of the lack of inclusivity in our sex education that so many gay men feel they got little or nothing of value to them from school.

“Considering the high levels of health inequalities that gay and bisexual men and women suffer, ensuring that all pupils receive honest, inclusive sex and relationship education should be a priority.”

FS Editor Ian Howley agreed: “I believe we should be collectively challenging the Government to provide proper sex and relationships education for gay men (of all ages).

“Until the Government has the courage to introduce adequate sex and relationships education for everyone, we must do our best to make sure that when a 13-year- old googles the words ‘gay sex’ he’s not met with images and videos that he shouldn’t be looking at, but with appropriate content that helps him develop a healthy and informative attitude to gay sex.”

Mr Hodson added: “Porn has always been about fantasy. The dominant gay porn fantasy appears to be about men with amazing bodies and huge cocks, enjoying sex without any discomfort, mess or sexual health consequences.

“Real life rarely lives up to that. It’s a part of the struggle of modern life that our expectations are often raised far beyond what we are likely to achieve, sometimes beyond what it is possible for us to achieve.”

The full results are available via FS Magazine.