Sexual Role Identity and Anal Sex Positioning among Brazilian, Colombian, and Dominican Immigrant Sexual Minority Men

ABSTRACT

Sexual role identities for anal sex and anal sex positionings are often conflated in research. This study aimed to identify profiles of sexual minority men based on sexual role identity and anal sex positioning and determine correlates of these profiles, including individual (i.e., HIV-status identity, condom use, partner type, sexual orientation) and cultural (i.e., same-race partnering, country of birth, acculturation) factors. A sample of Brazilian, Colombian, and Dominican immigrant sexual minority men (n = 480) living in New York City were surveyed about identity and positioning at the two most recent encounters. Individual and cultural factors were examined as correlates of profiles identified through latent class analysis. Four latent classes were identified: No Labels (12%), Receptive Bottoms (16%), Insertive Tops (23%), Insertive and Receptive Versatiles (49%). We found a concordance rate of ~70% between identity and behavior. A proportion (12%) of behaviorally versatile men chose not to use sexual role labels. Living with HIV was associated with receptive and versatile classes, sex with main partners was associated with versatility, and sexual orientation differed across classes. Identity and behavior should not be used interchangeably in research or applied domains, particularly given the complexities of versatility and men who prefer to not use labels.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to participants for their generous contributions to the study, and the Latino Health Research Center for their guidance and consultation on this article.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection for this project was supported by Award Number R01 HD046258 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NICHD or NIH. During the preparation of this article, the authors also received support from the District of Colombia Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR; P30AI117970).