ABSTRACT

Gay and bisexual men’s (GBM) group sex parties are considered HIV risk environments due to their association with concurrent sexual partners, condomless anal sex, and polysubstance use. The possibility of group sex party hosts acting as gatekeepers to minimize risks has been suggested, but remains understudied. We analyzed qualitative data from 20 in-depth interviews with North American GBM who recently attended private group sex parties to determine if hosts’ actions constitute harm reduction strategies. Results showed hosts acting as gatekeepers before parties by establishing and disseminating themes and rules, screening applicants, and selecting guests. During parties hosts enforced rules and rejected uninvited guests. By their actions, hosts established a more controlled environment compared to public sex-on-premises bathhouses, and facilitated boundary play, the paradoxical behavior of simultaneously desiring risk and safety, previously noted for GBM circuit parties. Results suggest initiating education programs focusing on private group sex party hosts as gatekeepers.

摘要

男同性恋和双性恋男性 (GBM) 团体性派对被认为是 HIV 风险环境，因为它们与同时发生的性伴侣、无安全套肛交和多种物质使用有关。有人提出了群交派对主持人充当守门人以最大程度降低风险的可能性，但仍未得到充分研究。我们分析了对最近参加私人团体性派对的北美 GBM 进行的 20 次深度访谈的定性数据，以确定主人的行为是否构成减少危害的策略。结果显示，主人通过建立和传播主题和规则、筛选申请人和选择客人来充当派对前的看门人。在聚会期间，主持人强制执行规则并拒绝不速之客。通过他们的行动，与公共场所性浴室相比，主人建立了一个更受控制的环境，并促进了边界游戏，即同时渴望风险和安全的自相矛盾的行为，以前曾为 GBM 巡回赛各方所指出。结果表明，应启动以私人团体性派对主持人作为看门人的教育计划。