Bottom and top gay
What Does “Top” Mean?
In the context of gay relationships and sexual dynamics, terms such as “top”, “bottom”, “verse” and “side” are often used to explain a person’s sexual preferences and roles. It is vital to knowing these terms not only for members of the LGBTQ+ group, but also for increasing understanding and acceptance of homosexual relationships in society.
What Does “Top” Mean?Physical AspectsEmotional and Psychological AspectsCommunication and ConsentWhat Does “Bottom” Mean?Physical AspectsEmotional and Psychological AspectsThe Stigma Around Being a BottomWhat Does “Verse” Mean?Accepting DiversityCommunication and CompatibilityWhat Does “Side” Mean?Non-Penetrative IntimacyOpposing NormsAccepting One’s IdentityRoles and MythsHealth and Safety During Gay Sex
As a rule, in male lover sexual relationships, the “top” is the partner who has a penetrative role during anal sex. However, the framework of top includes much more than just physical actions: it includes a whole set of attitudes, preferences, and sometimes emotional roles.
Physical Aspects
In physical terms, the top in a gay sexual relationship is the partner performing the penetration. This may include the operate
Straight people tend to acquire a little hung up on titles and roles in queer relationships. When it comes to lgbtq+ sex, many people look after to think rigidly and a little too heteronormatively for their own good: one person is the top (aka the giver or the more dominant partner during sex), and one is the bottom (the receiver or the submissive partner).
It’s sort of a more prying version of the other severely reductive and incredibly problematic question queer people listen all the time: “Who’s the man in the relationship? Who’s the woman?”
Of course, as with anything related to sex, the binary relationship between tops and bottoms is a lot more complicated than that. Sure, there are plenty of queer folks who almost exclusively bottom or top during sex, but there’s just as many who consider themselves versatile or switch (And hey, sometimes, just enjoy with straight sex, there’s no penetration at all. Sex is fluid!)
To dig a little deeper, we asked queer men about topping and bottoming, the stereotypes associated with both and how they choose to use (or not!) the terms in their own lives.
Let’s start with some immediate and dirty definitions for tops and bottoms. (And switche A lot of people reflect that homosexuality is a simple matter of genetics—if you have the so-called “gay gene,” well, you know the rest. In other words, gays and lesbians are just “born that way” and that’s that.
While this explanation is intuitively appealing, the life is that things are far more complex. Increasingly, scientific research suggests there are multiple factors that might contribute to gay orientation—and they’re very distinct from one person to the next. The terminate result of all this variability is that unlike “kinds” or “types” of homosexuality probably exist. In other words, being lgbtq+ isn’t just one thing, and not everyone who is gay is lgbtq+ for the same reasons.
A fascinating new study supporting this idea was recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. This study focused specifically on exploring the potential origins of male homosexuality, but did so in a way that was very different from almost all previous studies on this topic. Whereas most study in this area has treated gay men as a homogeneous group, the researchers leading this analyze instead looked at subgroups of gay men w
Top/Bottom
The terms top and bottom emerged as descriptors of a sexual binary in the gay leather culture of the 1950s and the bondage and sadomasochism (BDSM) culture of the 1960s. Originally, the top-bottom binary signified both sexual positions and force relationships in which a top was a sexual aggressor and penetrator who often acted as the more forceful and dominant partner; the bottom represented the more submissive, typically penetrated, and often "punished" partner.
DEFINITION AND USE OF THE TERMS
In the BDSM community the term top indicates the dominant significant other who inflicts pain on, enacts control over, or otherwise subjects his or her partner to acts associated with bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism. The phrase bottom indicates the receiver of such treatment. In these cases the terms are not gender-specific: A male or a female may act as a top or a bottom. Although the top is the dominant partner, the bottom often still has control. For example, a top who takes command from the bottom's explicitly expressed wishes often is called a service top.
These terms evolved in the 1970s and 1980s as they were adapted by the gay community. In that community they
Ever wanted to grasp the secrets to becoming a control bottom? Want to know how to look after the bottoms in your life? Curious to give bottoming a try but not sure how to begin?
We can support you become a better bottom! Here are some swift bottoming tips and tricks from ACON’s peer-workshop Booty Basics.
1. Lube
The arse does not produce its own lubrication.
This means that lube is really, really key for any anal play. First, to stop damage to the internal lining of your arse. Second, to create bottoming (and topping!) more pleasurable. And third, to aid protect it from infections.
Remember to exploit water or silicon-based lubes, as oil-based lubes can injury condoms.
2. You
The second principle is YOU. This is the one that covers off all the mental and feeling aspects such as making sure you feel safe, making sure there is consent, that you feel comfortable, that you know your own bottoming limits and desires.
Remember, sex is best for everyone if all the people deeply interested are motivated by trying to maximise everyone’s pleasure safely. You can’t be a good significant other and you can’t experience pleasure for yourself if you’re stressed or uncomfortable (bottom or not!).
3. Rel
A lot of people reflect that homosexuality is a simple matter of genetics—if you have the so-called “gay gene,” well, you know the rest. In other words, gays and lesbians are just “born that way” and that’s that.
While this explanation is intuitively appealing, the life is that things are far more complex. Increasingly, scientific research suggests there are multiple factors that might contribute to gay orientation—and they’re very distinct from one person to the next. The terminate result of all this variability is that unlike “kinds” or “types” of homosexuality probably exist. In other words, being lgbtq+ isn’t just one thing, and not everyone who is gay is lgbtq+ for the same reasons.
A fascinating new study supporting this idea was recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. This study focused specifically on exploring the potential origins of male homosexuality, but did so in a way that was very different from almost all previous studies on this topic. Whereas most study in this area has treated gay men as a homogeneous group, the researchers leading this analyze instead looked at subgroups of gay men w
Top/Bottom
The terms top and bottom emerged as descriptors of a sexual binary in the gay leather culture of the 1950s and the bondage and sadomasochism (BDSM) culture of the 1960s. Originally, the top-bottom binary signified both sexual positions and force relationships in which a top was a sexual aggressor and penetrator who often acted as the more forceful and dominant partner; the bottom represented the more submissive, typically penetrated, and often "punished" partner.
DEFINITION AND USE OF THE TERMS
In the BDSM community the term top indicates the dominant significant other who inflicts pain on, enacts control over, or otherwise subjects his or her partner to acts associated with bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism. The phrase bottom indicates the receiver of such treatment. In these cases the terms are not gender-specific: A male or a female may act as a top or a bottom. Although the top is the dominant partner, the bottom often still has control. For example, a top who takes command from the bottom's explicitly expressed wishes often is called a service top.
These terms evolved in the 1970s and 1980s as they were adapted by the gay community. In that community they
Ever wanted to grasp the secrets to becoming a control bottom? Want to know how to look after the bottoms in your life? Curious to give bottoming a try but not sure how to begin?
We can support you become a better bottom! Here are some swift bottoming tips and tricks from ACON’s peer-workshop Booty Basics.
1. Lube
The arse does not produce its own lubrication.
This means that lube is really, really key for any anal play. First, to stop damage to the internal lining of your arse. Second, to create bottoming (and topping!) more pleasurable. And third, to aid protect it from infections.
Remember to exploit water or silicon-based lubes, as oil-based lubes can injury condoms.
2. You
The second principle is YOU. This is the one that covers off all the mental and feeling aspects such as making sure you feel safe, making sure there is consent, that you feel comfortable, that you know your own bottoming limits and desires.
Remember, sex is best for everyone if all the people deeply interested are motivated by trying to maximise everyone’s pleasure safely. You can’t be a good significant other and you can’t experience pleasure for yourself if you’re stressed or uncomfortable (bottom or not!).