There has been a constant debate surrounding the issue of pornography over the last few years that has looked at the issue surrounding men and women, and in particular problems such as; women becoming objectified by men, how porn can squash the beauty of a real woman to man, how it’s both sexist and degrading towards women and how porn appears to eroticise rape, which can have a universally detrimental affect on men and more dangerously women.
This issue has been highlighted on multiple occasions and has primarily focused upon the issues surrounding the way men view pornography, and as for quite a few men it is their first introduction into the world of sexual activity, and how it can ultimately affect their view of a woman and create damaging affects for relationships later in life.
Within this issue surrounding pornography there appears to be something that has been overlooked. In the mainstream press, where this topic is covered quite a lot, the key debates surround how heterosexual men consume porn and ultimately treat woman, and how this can be dangerous for the women in question. What is majorly overlooked is the detrimental affect that pornography can have on gay men, because like their straight counterparts gay men consume pornography just as much and for many is their first foray into sexual activity, and for many it can be viewed as their first form of sexual education.
With no system of teaching young gay men about sex or how to have safe gay sex within schools, many young gay men will first be introduced to it through the use of pornography. Even though there are outlets and charities around for boys dealing with their sexuality there is still a pressure of coming out at a young age, and bullying still occurs on a regular basis making it harder for them to approach these outlets. This therefore makes the use of a bedroom laptop with its one click highway to the world of pornography one of the only ways they can learn about such things.
And this can most definitely have an extreme detrimental affect on young gay men.
Firstly there are the major problems it can cause for their self-esteem as young men strive to look like the ripped six-pack wielding stars of these porno films. This issue isn’t just exclusive to the gay community, it can affect straight men and women, as young people struggle to realise that the images portrayed are not that of regular body type. But with 48% of gay men saying they would sacrifice a year or more of their lives in exchange for the perfect body, in a study commissioned by the Central YMCA, the Succeed Foundation and the University of the West of England’s (UWE) Centre for Appearance Research, it is apparent that constant exposure to the perceived ‘ideal’ is having a negative effect on these young men.
But the issues don’t appear to stop there for gay men, with it already appearing to be one of the factors to enforcing negative body image it can also have a harmful effect on day to day lives and self esteem. In gay porn men are frequently seen hooking up at the gym, in a park, in a classroom or from just bumping into someone walking down the street, which can leave a long and impressionable effect on gay men. From seeing this they can assume that gay men hook up everywhere, so the next time they are propositioned they may assume this is the only way to attain sex and continue. You only have to look at the way that social media and smartphone apps are increasing the promiscuity of young gay men. It is seen as the norm now to flick onto Grindr and sleep with the next man within a 30ft radius, or advertise yourself as looking for a casual hook up on Gaydar. This overly sexualised culture can be seen as an offshoot of pornography, where after indulging in it for so long the next step is clearly to use your internet not just for some solo fun but to find the nearest person willing to sleep with you.
This effect to ones self esteem can’t be good as eventually they turn into a real life sex toy for whoever wants them. This is what they see in porn, so why shouldn’t they indulge in it?
This however leads on to the more serious and ultimately most damaging affect of gay pornography on young men. Barebacking, the act of having sex without the use of a condom, is appearing to become ever more popular, you only have to look on websites such as Gaydar to discover how many men are actually looking for it. It doesn’t help that the sales of barebacking porn is completely outselling every other form of gay porn around. This is ultimately self destructive, as a casual barebacking encounter could result in the HIV virus.
HIV rates are on the rise, with new diagnoses in the men who have sex with men group increasing by 70% in the last decade, with more than 30,000 men who have sex with men living with the virus, with an estimated third of these not being aware of it.
With barebacking pornography showing young gay men that this is ok, how long is it until they too have been infected with the disease?
The issue of pornography has been tackled greatly over recent years, but needs to be approached on many more fronts and looked at in all communities. It’s all good warning men of the dangers and saving women from potential risks. But something needs to be done to help save young gay men from themselves and a possible life long illness.
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