Eroticizing Ejaculatory Fluids and HIV Risk Behaviors and Risk Preferences among Men Who Specifically Seek Unprotected Sex Partners Via the Internet

Purpose: Recent research has revealed that men who have sex with men (MSM) who wish to engage in unprotected sex increasingly are turning to internet websites to identify potential partners. This paper focuses on MSM who use the internet to locate sex partners, and focuses on the role that eroticizing ejaculatory fluids (i.e., being a self-identified “cum lover” or “cum freak”) plays in their HIV risk practices/preferences.

Methods: A content analysis was conducted during 2006 and 2007 using a popular internet website targeting MSM who wish to locate unprotected sex partners. 1,316 profiles were coded, selected randomly by ZIP code. Data collected include age, race, psychosocial factors underlying risky practices, and numerous sexual risk behaviors/preferences.

Results: 16.2% of study participants eroticized ejaculatory fluids. Eroticizing ejaculatory fluids was associated with an elevated risk for HIV and consistently greater preferences for risk, including receiving semen orally (OR = 2.88) or anally (OR = 3.26), wanting large-group sex (OR = 3.90), overt dislike of condoms (OR = 5.18), refusing penile withdrawal prior to internal ejaculation (OR = 5.01), wanting anonymous sex (OR = 6.56), and wanting uninhibited sex (OR = 3.48).

Conclusions: MSM who eroticize ejaculatory fluids and who use the internet to locate sex partners tend to seek high rates of risky sexual practices and express a preference for risk-enhanced sex. Such men constitute a high-risk group in need of targeted intervention. To be successful and to meet with minimal resistance from targeted MSM, these interventions need to address MSM's eroticism-related desires.