Many factors beyond sexual attractions or behaviours shape sexual identification, including social contexts, romantic relationships and beliefs about masculinity and femininity, among others. Additionally, while most men knew bisexual is a valid identity, they felt that bisexual did not describe their identity because they were only romantically interested in women. Other research also shows that, on average, straight men who have sex with men are not any more homophobic than other straight men. Most supported equal legal rights for lesbians, gays and bisexuals. It may come as a surprise, but internalized homophobia was not a major reason the men I spoke to identified as straight.
![when two guys get drunk gay sex when two guys get drunk gay sex](https://spunout-images.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/helping-a-drunk-friend.jpg)
Larry, 37, from Wyoming explained: “I would say straight because that best suits our cultural norms around here.” Most of the men I talked to were happy with their lives and identities, and they did not want to identify as gay or bisexual - not when people asked them, and not to themselves. Living in small towns and in more rural settings also shaped how the men perceived themselves.
![when two guys get drunk gay sex when two guys get drunk gay sex](https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-12/17/21/campaign_images/webdr03/teen-youtube-star-accused-of-trying-to-lure-girl--2-21098-1450405336-1_dblbig.jpg)
Men who identify as feminists are having more - and more varied - sex They felt that sex with men was irrelevant to their identities given every other part of their lives.
![when two guys get drunk gay sex when two guys get drunk gay sex](https://img.haarets.co.il/img/1.5729573/1018316866.jpg)
Straight identification also, of course, meant that they avoided discrimination. The men I talked to identified as straight because they felt that this identity best reflected their romantic relationships with women, their connections to heterosexual communities or the way they understood their masculinity. It just becomes so politically charged now.” And you can be homosexual without being gay, or into all of it. It’s like you can be an athlete without being a jock. There’s the homosexual community, which isn’t a community, there’s the homosexual proclivity, and then the gay community. “I think there’s a definite disconnect between gay and homosexual. Connor, a 43-year-old from Oregon, noted: In order to answer why men would identify as straight despite having sex with other men, it’s important to know that sexual identities indicate how people perceive the sexual and nonsexual aspects of their lives. (Shutterstock) Identities reflect sexual, nonsexual aspects of life Straight men who have sex with other men are not necessarily closeted, because they do genuinely see themselves as heterosexual. Most men had not told their wives about their extramarital sex, however. These men felt as though extramarital sex with women would negatively affect their marriages, whereas extramarital sex with men was not as much of an issue. He said: “Even when I have an encounter now, I’m not cheating on her. Tom, a 59-year-old from Washington, explained: “I kind of think of it as, I’m married to a nun.” He continued: “For me, being romantic and emotional is more cheating than just having sex.” And Ryan, a 60-year-old from Illinois, felt similarly. Extramarital sex with men, to them, helped relieve their sexual needs without threatening their marriages. Several men explained that their marriages did not have as much sex as they wanted, and while they wanted to remain married, they also wanted to have more sex. My findings revealed several reasons as to why straight men have sex with other men. So why would they have sex with other men? The majority of men I interviewed were primarily attracted to women, not men. Skirting around cheatingĪs part of my research, I spoke with 60 straight men who have sex with other men, and specifically looked at men in rural areas and small towns. It involves two related but separate issues: first, why men identify as straight if they have sex with other men, and second, why straight men would have sex with other men in the first place. This finding represents a disconnect between identity and behaviour, and researchers from around the world - in the United States, Australia and the U.K. Large nationally representative surveys show that hundreds of thousands of straight American men - at least - have had sex with two or more other men. In my book, Still Straight: Sexual Flexibility among White Men in Rural America, I investigate why some men who identify as straight have sex with other men. When a straight man has sex with another man, however, he views himself as straight despite his sex with men. He is not open about that identity, likely because he fears discrimination. When a closeted gay or bisexual man has sex with another man, he views that sex as reflecting his secret identity.
![when two guys get drunk gay sex when two guys get drunk gay sex](https://www.sfaf.org/wp-content/uploads/posts/gay-men-2-1024x683.jpg)
And these people are not necessarily “ closeted” gays, lesbians or bisexuals. Many people recognize sexual fluidity, and some even identify as “ mostly straight.”įewer people know that some men and women have same-sex encounters, yet nonetheless perceive themselves as exclusively straight. Sexual identities and sexual behaviours don’t always match because sexuality is multidimensional.