Looking for a tall, dark, macho man … sexual‐role behaviour variations in Latino gay and bisexual men

Abstract

A community recruited sample of Latino gay and bisexual men in New York were asked to indicate their likelihood of adopting the insertive (activo) or receptive (pasivo) roles in oral and anal sex according to partners' characteristics. The results show that gender stereotypes of masculinity and femininity play an important role in the sexual behaviour of this population. Versatile individuals report higher likelihood of taking a pasivo sexual role when they perceive a sexual partner as being more masculine than themselves based on his appearing more macho, more aggressive, taller, endowed with a bigger penis, more handsome, or darker skinned. By contrast, respondents report more likelihood of taking an activo role when the partner is perceived as more effeminate, less aggressive, shorter, endowed with a smaller penis, less handsome, or of lighter skin colour. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that, although gender stereotypes play an important generic role, contextual and emotional circumstances may significantly affect sexual‐role behaviour in specific cases.