Gay men are more likely to have safe sex if they watch porn actors wearing condoms, according to a new study.
In contrast, there is a greater probability a gay man will have risky sex if he watches bareback porn movies.
The study was conducted by Columbia University in the form of a survey, and it included 265 gay and bisexual male participants who had all watched porn in the last three months.
Almost half of those who reported they had watched bareback sex said it contributed to them engaging in unprotected sex.
Dr Eric Schrimshaw, one of the study’s authors, explained the results: “One type of pornography was associated with higher rates of condom use – men who viewed more pornography containing condom use engaged in fewer condomless anal sex encounters.
“Even those who took part in compulsive pornography viewing were not more likely to engage in condomless anal sex.”
Another intriguing finding shows that over half gay and bisexual men feel encouraged to hook up after watching sexually explicit media, while 70% of them try to recreate scenes they have observed in porn.
“This lends support to the argument for greater availability of sexually explicit media that contains anal sex in which condoms are clearly used by actors,” Dr Schrimshaw added.
“The potentially negative consequences on behavior, therefore, has policy implications for pornography directors, producers, distributors, performers, and viewers.”
When Los Angeles City Council passed a mandate forcing porn actors to wear condoms in 2012, a lot of industry players reportedly left the city and started making bareback movies elsewhere.
The Columbia University study’s authors said further examination of the relationship between gay pornography and frequency of condom use could play an important part in the fight against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
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