Drag performers’ perspectives on the mainstreaming of British drag:Towards a sociology of contemporary drag

Drag performance has entered mainstream British culture and is gaining unprecedented appreciation and recognition, yet no sociological accounts of this transformation exist. Using an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews with 25 drag performers, alongside netnography of media and other public data, this article develops a sociological understanding of the mainstreaming of drag. There are two clear reasons for the success of drag. First, there is a pull towards drag: it is now seen as viable career opportunity where performers receive fame rather than social stigma in a more inclusive social zeitgeist, even if the reality is more complex. Second, there is a push away from other creative and performing arts because heteronormative perspectives persist through typecasting and a continued professional stigma associated with drag. In calling for a sociology of drag, future avenues for research on contemporary drag are discussed, alongside the need for the sociology of cultural and creative industries to incorporate sexuality as both a subject and analytic lens

Women’s rationales and perspectives on “mostly” as a nonexclusive sexual identity label

The sexuality labels of “mostly straight” and “mostly gay” are used by men to understand their non-exclusive sexualities, yet the value of these labels in understanding women’s sexuality has not been investigated. The current qualitative study addresses this issue by examining how women with non-exclusive sexualities view the term "mostly" to understand their sexual desires and identities and explores their experiences as women with non-exclusive sexualities. Participants were 30 cis-gendered women who indicated having gender non-exclusive desires, yet did not identify as bisexual. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants reported mostly lesbian and mostly straight identities as meaningfully different to bisexual identities, citing sexual, romantic and intellectual reasons as rationales for their non-exclusive orientations. Participants viewed “mostly” as more indicative of sexuality as a fluid construct, serving to de-emphasize sexual identity labels. Participants’ narratives support the notion that sexual identity labels "mostly lesbian" and "mostly straight" are useful to understand non-exclusive sexual desires and provides support for sexuality understood as a continuum interpreted through multiple overlapping categories. Implications for the understanding of women’s sexuality as fluid and flexible and how this relates more broadly to their identity are considered

Pornography Use by Kinky Gay Men – A Qualitative Approach

This study examines how kinky gay men consume and engage with pornography. Drawing on 28 in-depth interviews with self-identified kinky gay men, this study examines how pornography was discussed as a useful tool for exploring sexuality. Pornography consumption was complex and played an important role in the development of kink desires for almost all participants, being used to: explore sexual kinks; learn how to perform activities safely; and help consolidate sexual desires. Limitations and implications of this study are considered, particularly regarding the conceptual framing of pornography consumption and considerations for future with kinky individuals

The Coping with Identity Threat Scale: development and validation in a university student sample

Identity process theory focuses on the impact of individual and social change on human identity and the coping strategies that are employed in response to it. In this article, the psychometric properties of the Coping with Identity Threat Scale (CITS), which is designed to assess coping styles in response to particular types of identity threat, are described. Four hundred and thirty-one university students completed the CITS and additional measures of identity threat and psychological distress. A factor analysis indicated that the CITS comprises 5 factors (social engagement, concealment/pretense, denial, self-change, and rethinking/planning), which accounted for 56.56% of the variance. These factors reflect distinct coping styles, each of which manifests acceptable to good internal consistency and satisfactory concurrent validity with relevant variables. Multiple regression indicated that threats to the distinctiveness principle were associated with the denial, social engagement and re-thinking/planning coping styles, while threats to self-esteem and self-efficacy were associated with the concealment/pretense and denial coping styles. It is suggested that coping styles are activated in accordance with type of identity threat and that coping styles can be predicted if we understand how particular events and situations are likely to impact identity

“A Certain Evolution”: A Phenomenological study of 24/7 BDSM and Negotiating Consent

BDSM as a full-time lifestyle is stigmatized and underexamined as a phenomenon. Previous studies have investigated 24/7 sadomasochism (SM), 24/7 dominance and submission (D/s), or total power exchange (TPE), yet 24/7 BDSM remains under researched. Using a social constructionist and sexual diversity framework, we used insider knowledge to recruit four participants: a female slave/masochist, a male sadist, a female submissive, and a male dominant/protector. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed four superordinate and 10 subordinate themes: routes toward the fundamentals (i.e., sexually explicit resources, kink-related experiences), full-on lifestyle (i.e., self-in-role, flexible rules, shades of play, polyamory), dynamic consent (i.e., honesty, contextual communication), and practicalities (i.e., challenges, benefits). Our findings suggested that 24/7 BDSM is a socially constructed, consensual, full-time adherence to kink-related roles and behaviors untethered to time-limited scenes, woven into other life domains, and operating as an umbrella term to encompass other perpetual power dynamics. The themes contribute to the debate of kink as a sexual identity or serious leisure. We concluded that the centrality of self-in-role coupled with leisure features support 24/7 BDSM as an erotic lifestyle. Implications for sexual diversity, sex education, clinical guidelines, and social justice are discussed

“Oh! How modern! And... are you ok with that?": Consensually non-monogamous people’s experiences when accessing sexual health care.

The current research explored consensually non-monogamous peoples’ experiences accessing sexual healthcare. Using a mixed method approach, a sample of 67 consensually non-monogamous individuals (48% Polyamorous; 42% Relationship Anarchy/Solo polyamory; 6% Swingers; 4% Uncategorized) reported having significantly lower rates of trust in healthcare professionals compared to standardized scores. Sixty-three percent of participants reported disclosing their relationship status to a clinician when accessing sexual health services, whereas 37% sometimes or never disclosed. Qualitative responses identified that some participants reported a willingness to be open about their relationships, but many chose to “pass” as monogamous to both simplify and streamline their interactions as well as to avoid potential stigma. Participants reported a wide range of experiences with clinicians from those who were accepting and professional, to some who displayed prejudice and withheld treatment. This research outlines some of the experiences and challenges presented to consensual non-monogamists when accessing sexual healthcare as well as providing suggestions for clinicians to help remove some of the barriers to appropriate patient care

The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers

The relationship between drug use and sexual practice is complex. Significant focus has been placed on risky practices, yet the broader associations between drug use and sexual activities remain elusive outside such contexts. This is despite similar trends of liberalizing attitudes and practices being identified in each area, theorized as the normalization of recreational drug use and the liberalization of consensual sexual practice. In this article, we draw on convenience sample surveys of 966 festival-goers at an English music festival in 2016 and 2019 to assess prevalence of polydrug use and to examine whether people who consume illicit drugs are more likely to engage in sexual behaviors considered more liberal than the traditional norm. We show that people who reported polydrug use in the last 12 months were significantly more likely to engage in non-traditional sexual behaviors, including sex with a friend and anal sex, in that same time period. In combining and comparing two usually distinct discourses, this exploratory study suggests that the normalization of drugs and the liberalization of consensual sexual practices are related and can be conceptualized as part of a broader societal acceptance and cultural accommodation of illicit drug use and particular sexual practices as leisure activities, despite markedly different policy and legal contexts for each activity. We conclude that the concept of “normalization” may be more appropriate to understanding changes in sexuality than “liberalization” in the context of “leisure sex” and call for further cross-disciplinary research on drugs and sex using this approach

A Qualitative Study of Heterosexual Men’s Attitudes Toward and Practices of Receiving Anal Stimulation

This study examines the practice of and attitudes toward anal sexual stimulation among 30 heterosexual undergraduate men attending a UK university. While scientific and popular belief throughout the twentieth century considered anal pleasure to be only for gay or gender non-conforming men, we find participants discuss such pleasure openly and some have explored physically receiving anal pleasure. Participants did not stigmatise sexual pleasure derived from anal play, challenging cultural narratives that conflate anal receptivity with being gay. We document how ignorance around the best practices for anal sex may impede pleasure and the further exploration of sexual pleasure and highlight areas where sexual health and education interventions may be beneficial