Pleasure, risk perception and consent among group sex party attendees in a small Canadian Urban Centre

Fulcher, Karyn; Shumka, Leah; Roth, Eric Abella; Lachowsky, Nathan J.

doi:10.1080/13691058.2018.1508749

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Risk reduction strategies were less based on discussions of HIV status and viral load count and more on a felt sense of mutual trust and respect, as well as body language, physical appearance, connection with partners, condom usage and sexual preferences (e.g., oral sex, anal sex)—all of which have been reported in previous literature regarding risk reduction practices among MSM (Lorimer et al, 2013; Maartens et al, 2014; Vermund, 2014). While the foregoing points are useful to better understand risk‐taking rationale, our findings suggest that concepts of desire, pleasure and play need to be incorporated into public health nursing interventions targeted toward MSM who engage in group sex (Fulcher et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Risk concepts and strategies are shaped by the desires for pleasure maximisation in group sex and need to be factored into any public health interventions proposed for group sex participants (Fulcher et al, 2019; Rich et al, 2016). Risk reduction strategies were less based on discussions of HIV status and viral load count and more on a felt sense of mutual trust and respect, as well as body language, physical appearance, connection with partners, condom usage and sexual preferences (e.g., oral sex, anal sex)—all of which have been reported in previous literature regarding risk reduction practices among MSM (Lorimer et al, 2013; Maartens et al, 2014; Vermund, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to the probability statistics of risk factor assessments put forth by public health agencies, the general public's perceptions of risk are often qualitative and complexly related to other social and emotional constructs such as trust and pleasure (Slovic, 2010). Within‐group sex events, the concept of play (i.e., safely engaging in limit‐testing experiences) seems to connect elements of both risk and pleasure, providing an ideal venue for safe and consensual practices of arousal and sexual (dis)engagement (Fulcher et al, 2019; Rich et al, 2016). Current research, however, rarely addresses participants' personal interpretations of risk and how these harm reduction strategies are translated into safe group play.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boundaries are thus, manifestations of deep‐seeded sexual desires, which are actualized to their fullest potential—without crossing the threshold of one's personal limits of comfort. While gay group sex may be perceived as a catalyst for HIV transmission (Grov et al, 2013; Solomon et al, 2011), a variety of risk reduction practices have been shown to be promoted and honoured within‐group sex events, such as circulating condoms, disclosing personal health (e.g., HIV sero‐status), designating spaces for specific practices (e.g., barebacking, drug use), serosorting and defining etiquette and other norms of interaction (Clatts, 2005; Fulcher et al, 2019; Harviainen & Frank, 2018; Meunier, 2014; Rich et al, 2016). Group sex is structured to a limited extent by general rules and etiquette, some of which are more flexible than others, enabling a softly defined field of freedom and spontaneity from which to play (Harviainen & Frank, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assembling bodies‐without‐organs: A poststructuralist analysis of group sex between men

et al. 2021

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Group sex among men who have sex with men may be understood as a ‘radical’ practice insofar as it transgresses dominant social discourses around appropriate sexual relations—prioritizing heteronormative, monogamous and risk‐averse sex. These practices are generally defined as steeped in risk, most commonly due to the potential for transmitting human immunodeficiency virus and sexually transmitted infections and accompanied by the possibility of legal and social repercussions. Our ethnographic research study explored the desires, practices and contexts of group sex participants (n = 10) within a popular group sex party destination located in the United States. We employ a poststructuralist perspective (utilizing the work of Deleuze and Guattari) to understand group sex events with the pretext that bodies have no inherent ethics, meaning or essence: they are ‘bodies without organs’. We identify group sex as a form of boundary play, in which participants pursue new limits to what their bodies can do but within a carefully constructed environment that establishes norms of interaction meant to secure trust and safety between participants. A variety of risk reduction practices are shown to be promoted and honoured within these eventful sexual(ized) spaces. The application of poststructuralist concepts of ‘boundary play’ and ‘bodies without organs’ helped to depict the construction and navigation of pleasure, safety and risk among group sex participants.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Assembling bodies‐without‐organs: A poststructuralist analysis of group sex between men

et al. 2021

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Comparing Factors Associated with Increased Stimulant Use in Relation to HIV Status Using a Machine Learning and Prediction Modeling Approach

et al. 2023

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Sex Clubs in the UK: Recreational Sex, Erotic Diversity and Geographies of Desire

Haywood

2022

Int J Sociol Leis

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Current research has suggested that sex, sexual practices and sexual identities are increasingly being folded into people’s leisure and recreational activities. One area that has witnessed growing popularity has been sex clubs that market themselves as places that enable heterosexual casual, anonymous sexual encounters. Traditionally called swingers’ clubs, these are not strip clubs, lap dancing clubs or brothels, we have very little information about sex clubs or the people who visit them. In response, this article defines what sex clubs are, their geographical locations, and their facilities. Alongside this, through the data scraping of 6837 profiles of people who have visited clubs and left online reviews of the clubs that they have visited, this research provides the most extensive dataset available on the gender, age, relationship status and sexual preferences of sex club patrons. The findings from the study suggest that sex clubs are an emerging space for leisure sex that prioritises erotic practices that stand outside heteronormative norms and values. Whilst clubs have been traditionally associated with swinger communities, the findings in this article also suggest that sex clubs appeal to people with diverse sexual preferences. Alongside this, it highlights the potential ways in which sex clubs may be part of a broader spatialization of leisure sex. The article concludes by suggesting that in a post-Covid context, sex clubs will have increasing importance as places of leisure sex.

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Pleasure, risk perception and consent among group sex party attendees in a small Canadian Urban Centre

Cited by 8 publications

References 69 publications

Assembling bodies‐without‐organs: A poststructuralist analysis of group sex between men

Assembling bodies‐without‐organs: A poststructuralist analysis of group sex between men

Comparing Factors Associated with Increased Stimulant Use in Relation to HIV Status Using a Machine Learning and Prediction Modeling Approach

Sex Clubs in the UK: Recreational Sex, Erotic Diversity and Geographies of Desire

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