Sex Parties among Urban MSM: An Emerging Culture and HIV Risk Environment

Abstract

Private sex parties are an emerging risk environment for HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2009, 103 participants who reported attending at least one sex party in Massachusetts in the prior 12 months completed an in-depth, interviewer-administered quantitative assessment. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations with having engaged in one or more serodiscordant unprotected anal sex (SDUAS) acts at the most recent sex party attended. Nearly one-third (32%) of the sample reported engaging in SDUAS at the most recent sex party attended. Adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment, variables associated with an increased odds of engaging in SDUAS at the most recent sex party were: total number of unprotected anal receptive sex acts at sex parties in the past 12 months, self-perception of being at-risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV, and sexual sensation seeking. Examined in the same model, if condoms were provided/available at the most recent sex party attended, participants were at a decreased odds of engaging in SDUAS at that sex party. The majority (80%) expressed an interest in HIV prevention activities for MSM who attend sex parties. HIV prevention interventions are needed to reach MSM who attend sex parties and should take into account individual and contextual factors that may contribute to sexual risk. Environmental factors in the sex party setting, in particular the presence and availability of condoms, may potentially mitigate individual-level factors such as unprotected anal sex.

Brief Report

“…Compared to other venues for meeting male sex partners, meeting a partner via a sex party appears to elevate the risk for CAS, while other venues assessed in this study did not appear to significantly differ from each other. Sex party attendance may be common among GBMSM, 18–20, 22, 26 yet there is a paucity of research on these events. For providers and researchers, our study provided added detail on behavioral risks associated with the venues where GBMSM meet their sex partners.…”

“…Specifically, our findings highlight the need to use targeted HIV/STI prevention initiatives for men who attend sex parties. 18–20, 23, 26 Such initiatives could include psychosocial interventions, free condom distribution, 33 and on-site HIV and STI screening. 34–36 Biomedical interventions like pre-exposure prophylaxis and anti-retroviral therapy might also be appropriate.…”

“…15 Meanwhile, physical venues have also been the subject of inquiry, including gay bars/clubs, 4, 6, 16, 17 and sex parties. 16, 18–21 A community-based study of GBMSM in NYC and Los Angeles reported 54.8% met a recent male sex partner via a bar/club and 24.9% had met a sex partner via a sex party. 6 A 2014 study from a US online survey of GBMSM found 45.2% had been to a sex party in the last year.…”

“…22 At sex parties, men engage in frequent partnering and a variety of sexual acts with HIV-negative and HIV-positive men, which increases the opportunity for HIV/STI transmission. 18–20, 23, 24 …”

Men Who Have Sex with Mens’ Exposure to, Use of, and Subjective Experiences with the ‘NYC Condom’

“…These venues were selected based on data suggesting these are among the most common places MSM meet sex partners. 8,9 Eligibility criteria included being biologically male, at least 18 years of age, and being sexually active with multiple partners—operationalized as having at least two new (i.e., first-time) male sex partners within the last 30 days. Participants were enrolled between 2010–2012.…”