Scientific information regarding normative patterns of young men's sexual behavior is insufficient, especially regarding the impact of sex of partner. We explored the age at which 255 young adult men achieved several milestones (e.g., first kiss, manual‐genital contact, intercourse) as well as the sequence of milestone achievement and stability in sex‐of‐partner preferences as a function of sex‐of‐partner experiences. Mean ages of milestone achievement were consistent with the extant empirical literature. Men with only female partners were younger at first kiss and first relationship, and older at first intercourse than men with only male partners; they also reported an almost universal sequence of milestone achievement and little change in sex‐of‐partner preferences. Most men with male partners reported increased preference for male partners over time. Men with partners of both sexes tended to demonstrate patterns consistent with the relevant sex‐of‐partner group. Findings suggested a common male sexual trajectory and sex‐of‐partner dependent trajectories.

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First ejaculation research is scant, but studies reveal a contradiction: The majority of males report positive reactions to the event, and they are curious and interested about it, but they also tell no one of the experience. These paradoxical reactions—interest and silence—can be explained by a first ejaculation taboo in contemporary America. The quantitative and qualitative results of the current study, the first to investigate the perspectives of parents of early adolescent sons, provide evidence for this taboo. For example, parents rarely reported that they had communicated with sons about first ejaculation, and when they were asked if they had future plans to communicate their most frequent response was neither “yes” (35%) nor “no” (12%), but “I've never thought about it” (54%). Because first ejaculation is closely linked with sexual desire, masturbation, nocturnal emission, and orgasm, parents and others may have difficulty considering its developmental implications.

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