Are Queer Men Queering Consent? A Scoping Review of Sexual Consent Literature Among Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Men

Abstract

Objectives

To review the literature on Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer (GBTQ) men and sexual consent.

Methods

Eight electronic databases were searched in June 2022, yielding 1924 articles; 30 were included for review after screening.

Results

We found a growing body of literature focused on GBTQ men, with an increasingly intersectional lens. Most studies adopted a nuanced definition of sexual consent. Many discussed the unique sexual scripts developed by GBTQ men to communicate consent, especially in sex venues, and how unfamiliarity with these scripts creates vulnerability for newly “out” men. A common theme was the impact of heteromasculine norms on sexual encounters between GBTQ men.

Conclusions

The reviewed literature problematizes binary definitions of consent and miscommunication theories of assault. It both celebrates and problematizes GBTQ sexual cultures. We encourage future research to adopt more explicitly anti-carceral approaches to studying sexual consent and violence.

Keywords:

• Sexual consent
• sexual violence
• sexual scripts
• GBTQ men
• scoping review

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank Shelley McKibbon at Dalhousie University for her guidance and support during the research process, and Brittany O’Shea for her helpful comments on a previous version of this paper. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential competing interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Marcantonio et al. (2022) is the article that explicitly used these six terms; other articles used similar terms like “verbal and nonverbal consent,” “verbal and nonverbal negotiation,” et cetera.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) under Grant #MMI − 181115.