We all know porn is a thing. There is no reason to shame anyone for watching it, the numbers speak for themselves. Hell, for most LGBTQ people, this is actually how we learn about sex, granted it is not the most accurate representation of intimate encounters but we have to work with what we have. After all, you do not see high school health classes offering us an education in the finer points of same sex sexual relations, especially in the small southern town I grew up in. That leaves us with the aforementioned topic. But the question that seems to plague many is, “Why are gay men obsessed with gay for pay porn?”

We know that porn comes in all types and flavors to cater to the needs of almost anyone. In 2018 as Fortnite started its meteoric rise to popularity, Pornhub found that search increases for Fortnite related porn also rose. What is shocking is that the division between male and female search terms. We hear all too often that women do not watch porn, but often we find that that mentality is driven by the more patriarchal mindset of our country. Women are supposed to be pure and demure, not focusing on things that are baser and dirtier. Porn shaming is a thing but we should not be forcing our views on others. What we see from Pornhub’s study is that women are more prone to search for lesbian porn than men, almost 151% more. We also see that women are more prone to searching for the term “pussy licking” than men. This search topic is 251% more searched for by women.

In that same 2018 study conducted by Pornhub with focus on PornHub.com/gay most searched topics, we see that “straight guys” is one of the most searched for terms. Why is that? Is it because gay men are more attracted to the ideal of straight men? One would think that the torture we often endure at the hands of straight men would lend to us not ever wanting the fascination. Before I go any further, let me preface that any study performed by a purveyor of porn should not be taken for definitive evidence of the viewing habits or proclivities of a given subset of people. 

We can talk all day about the attraction to masculinity. I have touched on it in my articles about dating apps and in hypermasculinity. But it is a known fact that there are large groups of gay men who have profiles on dating apps touting how they are “masc for masc.” There is also a correlation of people who present/consider themselves to be masculine to seek out similar in a partner. This can seem weird when there are studies that show gay men are less gender conforming than their straight counterparts. This means that we do not always pattern ourselves after the same strict gender roles that straight men do, even though we seem to be more attracted towards masculine characteristics. By that logic, it should not be too surprising that our viewing habits on porn do fall more towards “gay for pay” types of porn.

As a young gay man, I remember having friends who considered it their mission and a massive triumph to sleep with a straight man. To me, I always found it a bit backward. If the supposed straight man were sleeping with a gay man, wouldn’t that indicate that his sexual preferences was more fluid than rigid? (Sorry for the bad pun.) The logic behind this comes from the wanting of what cannot be had or a taboo interaction. This leads to the breaking of rules mindset, these would be the types of videos where a straight man pushes boundaries and often ends up getting caught by his girlfriend/wife. 

There are also studies that say the reason gay men are attracted to masculine traits is based on the differences from our own. Something to the effect that the kinds of people that were most different from you in childhood would be what you are attracted to later in life.  Then there is the school of thought that attraction of opposites may apply. Simply stated that many of us grew up in areas or households where effeminacy of men was abhorred and masculinity was set on a pedestal, that we in turn develop our attractions based on that mindset.  

Whatever the reason behind it, there is statistical proof that we, as gay men, have a profound search proclivity for masculine porn. The reasoning may be inconsequential to most, but it also begs a bigger dynamic of why we do not search out porn that is more closely related to what we know. The end result is fantasy and that is what porn excels in, a moment in time where we can go beyond the day to day of our lives and explore things that we may not have access to. No matter your search topics, be sure to enjoy what you watch. As a friendly reminder, be careful around the keyboard to keep messes and the possibility of electrocution to a minimum. Happy surfing. 

GayInTheCLe.com

Keith Simpkins