ABSTRACT
Gay men reveal their preference—and the reasons behind it!
Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles is a no-holds-barred examination of one of society's most persistent taboos. In a remarkably candid collection of frank and forthright interviews, 21 gay men talk about the role anal sex plays in their lives and relationships and their choices to act as insertive (“top”) or receptive (“bottom”) partners—or both (“versatile”). Ranging in age from 21 to 65, the men discuss the reasons behind (and consequences of) their choices; how they define their sexual roles (and how those roles are defined by gay society); issues of power, trust, and vulnerability; and the concept (in both straight and gay society) that tops and bottoms are socially and morally unequal.
These unique interviews, conducted by the author in the Boston and Provincetown areas, celebrate choice in gay men's sexuality while debating whether preference is genetically based or socially formed—a debate largely ignored in social science studies. The men interviewed—including gay porn icon Cole Tucker—discuss perceptions muddied by stereotypes, preconceived notions, and exaggerated scenarios, and the meanings gay men assign to anal sex, including dominance and submission roles related to masculine/feminine, aggressive/passive implications. The interviews also cover each subject's personal history as a gay man, safe sex in the AIDS era, childhood traumas, first-time sexual encounters, loves, desires, and obsessions.
The interviews for Gay Men and Anal Eroticism provide insights that are equal parts thoughtful and outrageous, humorous and heartbreaking:
- Aaron, age 24: “I sort of fell into this image of myself as being a very aggressive bottom, a guy who knew what he wanted and who didn't want any wimps applying.”
- Danny, 21: “There’s a mindset about being a top … it's kinda like maintaining the ship.”
- Sam, 36: “I hate to say it, but I’m a bottom … I don’t like to be identified like that because I feel it turns me into something all the way from my feet up to my head.”
- Eddie, 42: “I guess I enjoy more being a top than a bottom because I haven't found a good top.”
- and Cole Tucker: “A physical act doesn't really make you a top or a bottom. It's a function, an organic function of what you do. It's the dynamics of where you come from.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |17 pages
Introduction: Is It a Natural Thing?
part |43 pages
Bottom
chapter |8 pages
Aaron: Labels Exist for a Reason
chapter |9 pages
Andy: Bottoms Get No Respect
chapter |8 pages
Sam: The Darkness That Looms Inside
chapter |7 pages
Kevin: A Certain Honesty
chapter |7 pages
Lito: It's a Natural Thing
part |35 pages
Tops
chapter |4 pages
Danny: Giving and Receiving
chapter |9 pages
Max: “The Bottom Has to Work with You”
chapter |10 pages
Mark: Control and Stereotypes
chapter |9 pages
Jay: An Assertive Personality
part |97 pages
Versatiles
chapter |9 pages
Jackson: “I Enjoy Both”
chapter |5 pages
Randy: “Boston Is a Very Bottom Town”
chapter |8 pages
Peter: “A Hard Dick Has No Conscience”
chapter |5 pages
Bruce: Too Much Alone
chapter |13 pages
Eddie: “We're Being Held Prisoners for Fucking”
chapter |8 pages
Tom: Control and Volition
chapter |13 pages
Cole Tucker: A Man's Soul
chapter |4 pages
James: The Female Position
chapter |11 pages
Richard: To Know Who You Are
chapter |12 pages
John: “People Want Me to Fuck Them Like Crazy”
part |32 pages
Couples