More "Sex Between Men"

According to the Department of Health (Philippines), the the MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men) population is now a significant contributor to the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the country.

Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center, said they observed an increase of MSM among people infected with HIV. “MSM is becoming a sexual norm. This is contributing to the increase of HIV/AIDS and this is not merely about gays. This is about men who have sex with men,” he said in a health forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians.

The DOH had registered 432 HIV/AIDS cases from January to July 2009. Seventy of the cases were recorded in July with “bisexual contact as the most predominant type of sexual transmission.”

Tayag said that MSM used to be “hidden” and was known to circulate in clandestine places like rundown movie houses.

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MSM: Is It Wrong for Straight Men to Have Sex with Men?

SMSM - The phenomenon of Straight Having Sex with Men, is there something wrong with this behavior?

This last part of the MSM series from glbtq.com has the answer:

Is SMSM Behavior Pathological?

While some SMSM behavior has pathological roots that need to be understood, straight men having sex with other men need not be pathological or even motivated by pathological reasons. Gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men are drawn to certain sexual behaviors, fantasies, and desires that they usually experience with little psychological trouble.

Moreover, as Kinsey and his associates documented in the 1940s and 1950s, men and women are capable of a much wider range of sexual behavior and fantasies than is usually recognized. Homosexually-identified men and women frequently have heterosexual fantasies and heterosexually-identified men and women frequently have homosexual fantasies.

Whatever drives a man to have sex with another man, as long as he is aware of the consequences of his behavior, has his and his partner's informed consent, harms no one else, and is mindful of his partner's integrity, sexual pleasure is its own justification. Moreover, it may even facilitate self-understanding and broaden one's perspective.

However, leading a life on the "down low" can be risky in a number of ways. The secrecy and shame involved may lead to such psychological fallout as depression and low self-esteem, plus many other dysfunctional behaviors such as chemical dependency, sexual addiction, suicide attempts, affairs, and unprotected sex that may result in STDs, including HIV infection.

A good rule of thumb is that if SMSM behavior prevents the development of deep personal relationships or otherwise adversely affects an individual's self-esteem or sense of himself, or causes emotional distress to loved ones, therapy may be helpful. SMSM who do end up in therapy often learn that it is not their sexual behavior that is the problem but how they feel about it.
Some learn that their sexual behavior expresses non-sexual issues or aspects of themselves that need to be addressed or emotional wounds that need to be healed.

MSM: Gay Men vs. MSM

Many people are too impatient to recognize the difference between sexual identity and sexual behavior. The following outlines the difference between gay men and SMSM (Straight Men who have Sex with other Men).

Here's the continuation of our MSM Series from glbtq.com:


"A gay man's sexual orientation is characterized by lasting aesthetic attraction to, romantic love of, and sexual attraction almost exclusively towards those of the same gender. A gay man's sexual thoughts, fantasies, and behavior are aligned. His identity is based on affectional, emotional, spiritual, psychological, and sexual feelings directed exclusively or mostly toward men."

"While some gay men can include and enjoy women as part of their sexual fantasies and behaviors (for instance, being sexual with a woman while with another man or experimenting by having sex with a woman), the gay man is mostly if not totally attracted to men."

"In contrast, SMSM might fantasize about men, but their primary sexual and romantic attractions are toward women. They are heterosexual men who for a variety of reasons engage in sexual behavior with other men. They are not gay, nor are they bisexual, though their sexual behavior includes sex with other men. The key point is that they do not self-identify or see themselves as gay or bisexual."

"In understanding SMSM, a significant distinction is that between sexual preference and sexual identity. Sexual preferences are about various desires, positions, and fantasies one might have, whereas sexual identity is about how one self-identifies in terms of straight, gay, or bisexual."

"A straight man's sexual behavior with men may reflect a need for quick sexual release or a desire to experiment or an addiction or a complex reaction to past sexual abuse. This behavior sometimes expresses problems and conflicts with their sexual feelings and desires, but it is not an expression of a gay identity."


For the complete article, visit: http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/straight_men_who.html

MSM: Needs & Fantasies

Sexual desire and behavior are probably as diverse as all the shapes and sizes of all the penises of every man in this world.

And to confine such behavior and subsequent identities with rigid labels such as "gay" and "bi's" will defeat our goal in exploring the wealth of sexual diversity.

Here's the continuation of the MSM (Men having sex with men)series from Joe Kurt of glbtq.com:


"Usually, SMSM are turned off and left cold by images of naked men. Instead, they are sexually aroused by and attracted to women. Hence, their interaction with men is typically less about sexual desire for their partners than a desire to experiment or fulfill particular sexual fantasies, including fetish interests.

They may be strongly compelled and interested in various sexual experiences that may be labeled as homosexual (such as an interest in anal intercourse, especially if they desire to be penetrated, or fellatio). To fulfill these interests, they may seek out gay men, whom they perceive as less judgmental than women and more open to sexual experimentation without commitment.

Some SMSM may want to bond with and need affection from other men and find that they can achieve this through sexual interaction with other men. Some heterosexual men who feel that they did not receive sufficient affection and attention from their fathers seek sex with men as a way of finding male nurturance and acceptance. These men may prefer that the bonding remain nonsexual but cannot obtain intimacy except through sexual relations.

Some SMSM are narcissists who have a constant need for attention and acceptance. These men use sexuality with other men as a means of fulfilling their need to be adored and admired.

Some suffer from a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in which the individual is preoccupied with the possibility that he might be homosexual. These men feel compelled to engage in certain behaviors that make them think that they are gay when in truth they are straight. They find no pleasure in sexual contact with men, but nevertheless are driven to participate in homosexual relations.

Some SMSM are acting out early childhood sexual abuse. If a basically heterosexual boy has been molested by a male relative, when he grows up, he may keep "returning to the scene of the crime" to defuse and desensitize his emotional pain. These heterosexual men are not homosexually oriented and their homosexual behavior has nothing to do with their sexual and romantic identities.

Other SMSM are sexually addicted and are looking for new ways to add to their sexual shame, excitement, and thrill. They compulsively act out with other men as a result of sexual addiction.

Finally, some SMSM enjoy fantasies of--or the reality of--their wives and girlfriends having sex with other men either in front of them, nearby, or with their knowledge about when and where it occurs. They are often sexually aroused by feeling humiliated that their wives or girlfriends are being pleased by another male whom they see as more potent and better endowed.

Other men enjoy being sexual with other men's wives in front of the cuckold husband or at least with his knowledge. Sometimes they engage in sexual behavior with the man but only in the presence of the wife or girlfriend."

For the complete article, visit: http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/straight_men_who.html

MSM: The Desires of the Straight Man

To continue with our MSM (Men Who Have Sex with other Men) Series from the GLBT Encylopedia, let's probe on the very interesting question: Why Would Straight Men Have Sex with other men?

There are a number of reasons why straight men might have sex with other men. These reasons range from situational homosexuality to sexual addiction. In general, SMSM behavior is about physical release and sexual behaviors, not about attraction or desire for another man. The attraction is toward the act or the body (or body parts) of the male not the other man himself.

Straight men who have sex with other men often have high sex drives and are easily aroused sexually. They may seek out connections with men for a quick and easy sexual release in which they are not required to engage emotionally or to risk their identity as a heterosexual man.

Some SMSM might be described as "Hetero-Emotional and Homo-Sexual." These are men who are romantically attracted to the opposite sex but whose predominant sexual arousal is by other men. They are usually heterosexually married and in love with their wives, but nevertheless feel sexually driven by a need to have sex with other men.

Other SMSM are socially phobic and have inadequate skills necessary to flirt with and connect to women. They may have such extreme anxiety that they find their sexual release with other men due to the ease and lack of social skills necessary to have a sexual hook-up through the Internet, rest areas, parks, and other places men cruise for sex with other men.

For the complete article, visit: http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/straight_men_who.html

MSM: Straight Men Who Have Sex With Men

Not All Men Who Have Sex with Men Are Gay

I have met a lot of people who belive in the contrary that's why I feel the need to share this interesting article from GLBTQ, the online encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer culture. Written by Joe Kurt, the article offers an in-depth explanation on who are the MSM, or the Straight Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Allow me to divide this article in several series of posts for easier digestion.

"Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) is a term derived from the growing body of literature showing that not all men who have sex with men are gay. Adopted by sex researchers and AIDS organizations to classify men who have sexual relations with other men but whose sexual identity is neither gay nor bisexual, the acronym recognizes a reality that complicates our tendency to divide the world into heterosexuals and homosexuals, with a small number of bisexuals, who are sometimes thought of as simply gay men or lesbians who have not come to terms with their homosexuality. That is, the reality of sexual activity is more complicated than the traditional binary (or even trinary) system of nomenclature can accommodate.

This article focuses on straight men who have sexual relations with men (SMSM). They are not gay nor are they bisexual, though their behavior might be seen as bisexual or homosexual.

The SMSM phenomenon is not new, though it has only recently received much media attention. In earlier generations, these men may have been described as "trade"--heterosexual men who participated in same-sex sexual encounters of a restricted kind, often taking the active role in anal intercourse and the passive role in fellatio.

They may have been sex workers or men who engaged in sexual relations with other men only because female partners were not available (as in the case of prisoners or men who live in all-male environments). They may have engaged in sexual activity with other men as runaway teenagers living on the streets for survival or as young men out on a lark.

These men may have cruised for same-sex encounters in public parks or restrooms, but they were unlikely to become part of a gay community except on its fringes.
More recently, the growth of the Internet has facilitated the acting out of sexual fantasies of all kinds, including those of SMSM. The Internet has made it easier and safer for heterosexually-identified men to meet other men for quick, anonymous sex. Hence, there may be a growth in the number of men who experiment with same-sex desire without altering their sexual identities."

For the complete article, visit: http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/straight_men_who.html