You have to trust their word’

Transmasculine experiences with sex partners and safety during the early Covid-19 outbreak

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15098502
AutoresMichelle Dearolf (0009-0005-0424-092X, Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA), Alexa B D’angelo (0000-0001-5260-340X, Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA), Christian Grov (0000-0001-6871-3531, Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA, autor de correspondencia)
Año2024
Volumen26
Número1
Páginas77-92
Fecha de publicación2024-01-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCulture Health & Sexuality (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1369-1058 • E-ISSN: 1464-5351
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13691058.2023.2187093
PMID36929822
OpenAlexW4327682570
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas50

The early months of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic exacerbated health disparities for vulnerable populations, including transgender (trans) communities, creating unique challenges for navigating sex and dating. This paper aims to expand upon the current literature regarding transmasculine populations by capturing their lived experiences during this critical time. We interviewed 20 assigned female sex at birth (AFAB) adults of the transmasculine spectrum - men, nonbinary, and transmasculine individuals - about their social and sexual experiences in the USA in May and June 2020. Transcripts were analysed using an inductive thematic approach. We found that sex drive decreased and uncertainty about health risks increased. Some participants found alternate ways to date and hook-up that reduced their COVID-19 risk, such as engaging in online sex (e.g. sexting, dating apps). Others expressed discomfort using virtual platforms for both personal/work and sexual lives, along with nuanced feelings around being objectified, compared to pornography, and fetishised as trans bodies. COVID-related shutdowns of queer spaces also amplified pre-existing concerns about interpersonal safety and rejection. When seeking new partners, participants sought behavioural characteristics that instilled trust. Future public health communications can take advantage of safety and sexual health strategies already present in trans communities to bolster wellbeing in trans lives

Environmental health · Feeling · Interpersonal communication · Lesbian · Political science · Population · Pornography · Qualitative research · Queer · Reproductive health · Sexual orientation · Social media · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Transgender · Gender, Feminism, and Media · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology