Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of Sexually Explicit Material in the Sexual Development of Same-Sex-Attracted Black Adolescent Males

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Sexually explicit material (SEM) (including Internet, video, and print) may play a key role in the lives of Black same-sex sexually active youth by providing the only information to learn about sexual development. There is limited school- and/or family-based sex education to serve as models for sexual behaviors for Black youth. We describe the role SEM plays in the sexual development of a sample of Black same-sex attracted (SSA) young adolescent males ages 15–19. Adolescents recruited from clinics, social networking sites, and through snowball sampling were invited to participate in a 90-min, semi-structured qualitative interview. Most participants described using SEM prior to their first same-sex sexual experience. Participants described using SEM primarily for sexual development, including learning about sexual organs and function, the mechanics of same-gender sex, and to negotiate one’s sexual identity. Secondary functions were to determine readiness for sex; to learn about sexual performance, including understanding sexual roles and responsibilities (e.g., “top” or “bottom”); to introduce sexual performance scripts; and to develop models for how sex should feel (e.g., pleasure and pain). Youth also described engaging in sexual behaviors (including condom non-use and/or swallowing ejaculate) that were modeled on SEM. Comprehensive sexuality education programs should be designed to address the unmet needs of young, Black SSA men, with explicit focus on sexual roles and behaviors that may be inaccurately portrayed and/or involve sexual risk-taking (such as unprotected anal intercourse and swallowing ejaculate) in SEM. This work also calls for development of Internet-based HIV/STI prevention strategies targeting young Black SSA men who may be accessing SEM.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Almeida, J., Johnson, R. M., Corliss, H. L., Molnar, B. E., & Azrael, D. (2009). Emotional distress among LGBT youth: The influence of perceived discrimination based on sexual orientation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(7), 1001–1014.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arrington-Sanders, R., Leonard, L., Brooks, D., Celentano, D., & Ellen, J. (2013). Older partner selection in young African American men who have sex with men. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(6), 682–688.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, M., Raymond, H. F., & McFarland, W. (2007). Same race and older partner selection may explain higher HIV prevalence among black men who have sex with men. AIDS, 21(17), 2349–2350.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bingham, T. A., Harawa, N. T., Johnson, D. F., Secura, G. M., MacKellar, D. A., & Valleroy, L. A. (2003). The effect of partner characteristics on HIV infection among African American men who have sex with men in the Young Men’s Survey, Los Angeles, 1999–2000. AIDS Education and Prevention, 15(1 Suppl.), 39–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blake, S. M., Ledsky, R., Lehman, T., Goodenow, C., Sawyer, R., & Hack, T. (2001). Preventing sexual risk behaviors among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents: The benefits of gay-sensitive HIV instruction in schools. American Journal of Public Health, 91(6), 940–946.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borzekowski, D. L., & Rickert, V. I. (2001a). Adolescent cybersurfing for health information: A new resource that crosses barriers. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 155(7), 813–817.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Borzekowski, D. L., & Rickert, V. I. (2001b). Adolescents, the internet, and health: Issues of access and content. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 22(1), 49–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, R. A., Etzel, M. A., Hinojos, E., Henry, C. L., & Perez, M. (2005). Preventing HIV among Latino and African American gay and bisexual men in a context of HIV-related stigma, discrimination, and homophobia: Perspectives of providers. AIDS Patient Care & STDs, 19(11), 737–744.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. D., & L’Engle, K. L. (2009). X-rated sexual attitudes and behaviors associated with US early adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit media. Communication Research, 36(1), 129–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruce, D., Harper, G. W., & Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions. (2011). Operating without a safety net: Gay male adolescents and emerging adults’ experiences of marginalization and migration, and implications for theory of syndemic production of health disparities. Health Education and Behavior, 38(4), 367–378.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buttaro, A., & Battle, J. (2012). More than meets the eye: An ecological perspective on homophobia within the black America. Black Women, Gender & Families, 6(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chatman, E. A. (1996). The impoverished life-world of outsiders. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 47(3), 193–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooley, C. (1992). Human nature and the social order. New York: Schribner. (Original work published 1902)

  • Cramer, D. W., & Roach, A. J. (1988). Coming out to mom and dad: A study of gay males and their relationships with their parents. Journal of Homosexuality, 15(3–4), 79–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crocker, J., Major, B., & Steele, C. (1998). Social stigma. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (4th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 504–553). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downing, M. J. (2012). Using the internet in pursuit of public sexual encounters: Is frequency of use associated with risk behavior among MSM? American Journal of Men’s Health, 6(1), 18–27.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Downing, M. J., Schrimshaw, E. W., Antebi, N., & Siegel, K. (2014). Sexually explicit media on the internet: A content analysis of sexual behaviors, risk, and media characteristics in gay male adult videos. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(4), 811–821.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, L. A., Cain, D. N., Pope, H., Garcia, J., & Cherry, C. (2012). The relationship between pornography use and sexual behaviors among at-risk HIV negative men who have sex with men. Sexual Health, 9(2), 166–170.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eggermont, S. (2006). The impact of television viewing on adolescents’ sexual socialization. KUL.Nieuwe Reeks Van Doctoraten in De. Sociale Wetenschappen, 107, 272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. (1980). Identity and the life cycle. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forrest, J. D., & Silverman, J. (1989). What public school teachers teach about preventing pregnancy, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Family Planning Perspectives, 21(2), 65–72.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gagnon, J., & Simon, W. (1973). Sexual conduct: The social sources of human sexuality. Chicago: Aldine Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1981). Effective evaluation: Improving the usefulness of evaluation results through responsive and naturalistic approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Häggström-Nordin, E., Sandberg, J., Hanson, U., & Tydén, T. (2006). ‘It’s everywhere!’ Young Swedish people’s thoughts and reflections about pornography. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 20(4), 386–393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hald, G. M., Kuyper, L., Adam, P. C., & deWit, J. B. (2013). Does viewing explain doing? Assessing the association between sexually explicit materials use and sexual behaviors in a large sample of Dutch adolescents and young adults. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10(12), 2986–2995.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hald, G. M., & Malamuth, N. M. (2008). Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37(4), 614–625.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hald, G. M., Smolenski, D., & Rosser, B. R. (2013). Perceived effects of sexually explicit media among men who have sex with men and psychometric properties of the Pornography Consumption Effects Scale (PCES). Journal of Sexual Medicine, 10(3), 757–767.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, G. W., Bruce, D., Serrano, P., & Jamil, O. B. (2009). The role of the Internet in the sexual identity development of gay and bisexual male adolescents. In P. L. Hammack & B. J. Cohler (Eds.), The story of sexual identity: Narrative perspectives on the gay and lesbian life course (pp. 297–326). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, G. W., Jernewall, N., & Zea, M. C. (2004). Giving voice to emerging science and theory for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people of color. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10(3), 187–199.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, G. W., & Riplinger, A. J. (2013). HIV prevention interventions for adolescents and young adults: What about the needs of gay and bisexual males? AIDS and Behavior, 17(3), 1082–1095.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hurley, R. (2009). Bareback to basics: How gay porn undermines safe sex campaigns. British Medical Journal, 338, b910.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussen, S. A., Bowleg, L., Sangaramoorthy, T., & Malebranche, D. J. (2012). Parents, peers and pornography: The influence of formative sexual scripts on adult HIV sexual risk behaviour among Black men in the USA. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 14(8), 863–877.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussen, S. A., Gilliard, D., Caldwell, C. H., Andes, K., Chakraborty, R., & Malebranche, D. J. (2014). A qualitative analysis of father–son relationships among HIV-positive young Black men who have sex with men. Journal of Urban Health, 91(4), 776–792.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jamil, O. B., Harper, G. W., & Fernandez, M. I. (2009). Sexual and ethnic identity development among gay–bisexual–questioning (GBQ) male ethnic minority adolescents. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(3), 203–214.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jeffries, W. L., Marks, G., Lauby, J., Murrill, C. S., & Millett, G. A. (2013). Homophobia is associated with sexual behavior that increases risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV infection among black men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 17(4), 1442–1453.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kann, L., O’Malley Olsen, E., McManus, T., Kinchen, S., Chyen, D., Harris, W. A., & Wechsler, H. (2011). Sexual identity, sex of sexual contacts, and health-risk behaviors among students in grades 9–12—Youth risk behavior surveillance, selected sites, United States, 2001–2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 60(7), 1–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, C. N. (2004). Educating gay male youth: Since when is pornography a path towards self-respect? Journal of Homosexuality, 47(3–4), 83–128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kubicek, K., Beyer, W. J., Weiss, G., Iverson, E., & Kipke, M. D. (2010). In the dark: Young men’s stories of sexual initiation in the absence of relevant sexual health information. Health Education & Behavior, 37(2), 243–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kubicek, K., Carpineto, J., McDavitt, B., Weiss, G., Iverson, E. F., Au, C. W., & Kipke, M. D. (2008). Integrating professional and folk models of HIV risk: YMSM’s perceptions of high-risk sex. AIDS Education and Prevention, 20(3), 220–238.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LaSala, M. C., & Frierson, D. T. (2012). African American gay youth and their families: Redefining masculinity, coping with racism and homophobia. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 8, 428–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, R. G. (2012, January 18). L.A. City council OKs law requiring condom use by porn performers. Los Angeles Times. Accessed from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/18/local/la-me-0118-porn-condoms-20120118.

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Establishing trustworthiness: Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 363–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCormack, M. (2014). Innovative sampling and participant recruitment in sexuality research. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 31(4), 475–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, T. G. (2004). ‘He was treating me like trash, and I was loving it…’ Perspectives on gay male pornography. Journal of Homosexuality, 47(3–4), 167–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mustanski, B., Lyons, T., & Garcia, S. C. (2011). Internet use and sexual health of young men who have sex with men: A mixed-methods study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(2), 289–300.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mutchler, M. G., Ayala, G., & Neith, K. L. (2005). Safer sex stories told by young gay men: Building on resiliency through gay-boy talk. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 2(3), 37–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin, P. C., Madanat, H. N., Barnes, M. D., Carolan, A., Clark, R. B., Ivins, N., … Williams, P. N. (2008). Health education’s role in framing pornography as a public health issue: Local and national strategies with international implications. Promotion & Education, 15(1), 11–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2006a). Adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit material on the Internet. Communication Research, 33(2), 178–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2006b). Adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit online material and recreational attitudes toward sex. Journal of Communication, 56(4), 639–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2008). Adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material, sexual uncertainty, and attitudes toward uncommitted sexual exploration is there a link? Communication Research, 35(5), 579–601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2009). Adolescents’ exposure to sexually explicit Internet material and sexual satisfaction: A longitudinal study. Human Communication Research, 35(2), 171–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2010). Processes underlying the effects of adolescents’ use of sexually explicit internet material: The role of perceived realism. Communication Research, 37(3), 375–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, S. D. (2004). Hookups or health promotion? An exploratory study of a chat room-based HIV prevention intervention for men who have sex with men. AIDS Education and Prevention, 16(4), 315–327.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogala, C., & Tydén, T. (2003). Does pornography influence young women’s sexual behavior? Women’s Health Issues, 13(1), 39–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosario, V. A. (2004). “Qué joto bonita!”: Transgender negotiations of sex and ethnicity. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, 8(1–2), 89–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosser, B. S., Grey, J. A., Wilkerson, J. M., Iantaffi, A., Brady, S. S., Smolenski, D. J., & Horvath, K. J. (2012). A commentary on the role of sexually explicit media (SEM) in the transmission and prevention of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM). AIDS and Behavior, 16(6), 1373–1381.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosser, B. S., Smolenski, D. J., Erickson, D., Iantaffi, A., Brady, S. S., Grey, J. A., … Wilkerson, J. M. (2013). The effects of gay sexually explicit media on the HIV risk behavior of men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 17(4), 1488–1498.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Savin-Williams, R. C., & Ream, G. L. (2003). Suicide attempts among sexual-minority male youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 32(4), 509–522.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schutz, A. (1970). On phenomenology and social relations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • SIECUS. (2012, September 30). Sexuality and HIV/STD education policies. Accessed from http://siecus.org/document/docWindow.cfm?fuseaction=document.viewDocument&documentid=208&documentFormatId=267.

  • Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1986). Sexual scripts: Permanence and change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 15(2), 97–120.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1987). A sexual scripts approach. In J. H. Greer & W. T. O’Donohue (Eds.), Theories of human sexuality (pp. 363–383). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. (2014). 24-year-old former porn star with AIDS films sobering video from his hospital bed. http://www.queerty.com/24-year-old-former-porn-star-with-aids-films-sobering-video-from-his-hospital-bed-20140326/. Accessed 28 Mar 2014.

  • Spink, A., Cenk Ozmutlu, H., & Lorence, D. P. (2004). Web searching for sexual information: An exploratory study. Information Processing and Management, 40(1), 113–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, D., Silvera, R., Hagerty, R., & Marmor, M. (2012). Viewing pornography depicting unprotected anal intercourse: Are there implications for HIV prevention among men who have sex with men? Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41(2), 411–419.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Štulhofer, A., Buško, V., & Landripet, I. (2010). Pornography, sexual socialization, and satisfaction among young men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(1), 168–178.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Subrahmanyam, K., & Greenfield, P. (2008). Online communication and adolescent relationships. The Future of Children, 18(1), 119–146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Telljohann, S. K., Price, J. H., Poureslami, M., & Easton, A. (1995). Teaching about sexual orientation by secondary health teachers. Journal of School Health, 65(1), 18–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tolman, D. L., Kim, J. L., Schooler, D., & Sorsoli, C. L. (2007). Rethinking the associations between television viewing and adolescent sexuality development: Bringing gender into focus. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40(1), 84-e9–84-e16.

  • Voisin, D. R., Bird, J. D., Shiu, C., & Krieger, C. (2013). “It’s crazy being a Black, gay youth”. Getting information about HIV prevention: A pilot study. Journal of Adolescence, 36(1), 111–119.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, E. (2005). Homophobia, hypermasculinity and the US Black church. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 7(5), 493–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, J. C., Fernandez, M. I., Harper, G., Hidalgo, M. A., Jamil, O. B., & Torres, R. S. (2008). Predictors of unprotected sex among young sexually active African American, Hispanic, and White MSM: The importance of ethnicity and culture. AIDS and Behavior, 12, 459–468.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Washington, P. (2001). Who gets to drink from the fountain of freedom? Homophobia in communities of color. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 13(1–2), 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. (2004). The low-down on the down low. The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, 11, 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). Unwanted and wanted exposure to online pornography in a national sample of youth Internet users. Pediatrics, 119(2), 247–257.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the contribution of the participants who shared their experiences. The National Institute of Child Health Development (K23 NICHD HD074470-02) and the ASTDA Development Award supported the present study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 200 North Wolfe Street, 2063, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Renata Arrington-Sanders, Anthony Morgan, Adedotun Ogunbajo & Maria Trent

  2. Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Gary W. Harper

  3. Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    J. Dennis Fortenberry

Authors
  1. Renata Arrington-Sanders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gary W. Harper
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Anthony Morgan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Adedotun Ogunbajo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maria Trent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. J. Dennis Fortenberry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renata Arrington-Sanders.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Arrington-Sanders, R., Harper, G.W., Morgan, A. et al. The Role of Sexually Explicit Material in the Sexual Development of Same-Sex-Attracted Black Adolescent Males. Arch Sex Behav 44, 597–608 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0416-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-014-0416-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation