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Inhuman sexuality,top,bottom, andversatile are roles duringsexual activity, especially between two (or more) males. Atop is usually a person whopenetrates, abottom is usually one who receives penetration, and someone who isversatile engages in either or both roles. These terms may be elements ofself-identity that indicate an individual's usual preference and habits, but might also describe broader sexual identities and social roles.[1]
The termstop andbottom do not refer to the literal physical position during sex.
For men who have sex with men and do not engage in anal sex, the term "side" has been proposed and has seen commercial use. Side men do not engage in anal sex but rather enjoynon-penetrative sex.
A top is usually a person who engages in the penetrative role during sexual activity; formen who have sex with men (MSM), this often involves penetration using thepenis duringanal ororal sex.[1]Top is also used as a verb meaning "to penetrate another".Top may also describe a broaderpersonal identity involvingdominance in aromantic orsexual relationship; however, this stipulation is not a requisite element of being a top.
Several related terms exist. With regard to gay male sexuality, atotal top or pure top is one who assumes an exclusively penetrative role for sex.[2] Apower top is one noted for their great skill or aggressiveness in topping. Increasingly the termrough top is used on apps such asGrindr to describe a top who penetrates with particular aggression often as a show of masculinity, and to let the bottom know they are being sodomized hard as a way to psychologically hurt them. Aservice top is "one who tops under the direction of an eager bottom", or is submissive while being the one who penetrates.[3] Aversatile top is one who prefers to top but who bottoms occasionally, colloquially, asoft top.[4] The termspenetrative partner[5] orgiver are synonyms oftop, created to describe the act of penetrating without implying non-egalitarian relations among participants.[citation needed]
A bottom is usually the receptive partner during sexual penetration. This frequently refers to MSM who are penetrated via theanus during anal sex.[1]Bottom is also used as a verb meaning "to be penetrated by another, whether anally or orally".Bottom may also describe a wider social context ofsubmission within a romantic or sexual relationship, though this element does not apply to all people who prefer to bottom. For example, apower bottom may refer to someone who takes a more dominant role while being the receptive partner.[6]
In gay male sexuality, atotal bottom is someone who assumes an exclusively receptive role during anal or oral intercourse. Aversatile bottom is one who prefers to bottom but who tops occasionally.[7] The termsreceiver orreceptive partner may be preferred by some. Anoral bottom is the exclusively receptive partner in oral sex, providing the penetrative partner, ororal top, with unreciprocatedfellatio orirrumatio.
Versatile, orvers, refers to a person who enjoys both topping and bottoming and may alternate between the two in sexual situations.[1][8][9]Flip-flop orflip fuck commonly describes switching from top to bottom during one sexual encounter between two men.[10] Each participant penetrates the other and is penetrated in his turn.
Versatility is a concept oflifestyle.[11]Versatility, though, is not limited to the simple acts of anal, oral, or vaginal penetration, but also includes the splitting of duties and responsibilities in the relationship.[12]
The reciprocal scenario, where both men take turns fucking each other, is often exercised as a celebration of equality. What sets this scenario apart from the others is the versatility of the men involved. Versatility is a unique and important feature of male anal sex. Some men consider it liberating; ... Versatility to them is akin to speaking two different languages. It requires a special kind of playfulness, creativity, curiosity, and coordination.
— Steven G. Underwood,Gay Men and anal eroticism: tops, bottoms, and versatiles, Harrington Park Press 2003
According to some, living aversatile lifestyle implies a certain openness to new things and an opposition tolabels,stereotypes andgeneralizations. Therefore, this concept differs from heterosexual relationships where sexual compatibility does not begin with guessing who will end up as top or bottom.[1]In self descriptions of men seeking sex with other men, they may refer to themselves as a versatile tops or versatile bottoms in addition to using other terms.
A 2009 Austrian study ongay pornography has shown that at least 82.4% of all men performing in the maleporn industry are versatile at some point during their career. In this study, the performances of 5,556 actors were considered. 10.8% performed only in the top role, 6.8% only as bottoms. The study also found that the actor with thelarger penis was more likely to act as the top.[13]
The termside was coined in 2013 in an article by psychotherapist and sexologistJoe Kort[14] for gay men who are not interested in anal sex. In the article, Kort offered this definition: "Sides prefer to kiss, hug and engage in oral sex, rimming, mutual masturbation and rubbing up and down on each other, to name just a few of the sexual activities they enjoy. These men enjoy practically every sexual practice aside from anal penetration of any kind."
The term has gained increasingly broad acceptance since then. In May 2022, the gay dating appGrindr added Side as a position option and other apps have subsequently followed suit.[15]
In Brazil, this concept is known asgouine,[16] while the termgouinage is used to refer tonon-penetrative sex.[17][18] It derives fromgouine, French word fordyke.[19]
A tally of 55,464 profiles ongay.com from theUnited States showed that 26.46% preferred top, while 31.92% preferred bottom, and the largest group (41.62%) preferred versatile. The preferences seemed to vary by state, however. In Wyoming, for example, 16% preferred top, 44% preferred bottom, and 40% preferred versatile. In West Virginia, tops outnumbered bottoms by a slim margin (32% top, 29% bottom, and 39% versatile). In Oregon, "versatile" profiles made up nearly half (48.42%).[20]
A study of the most recent sexual encounter among men who have sex with men found only 37.2% of participants had engaged in anal sex, while 72.7% had participated in oral sex and 68.4% in partnered masturbation.[21]
In thehanky code, a person flagging the top, or active, role would wear the hanky in the left pocket, and the bottom, or passive, role on the right. Acts which were not divisible into distinct roles, however, such as "69" or "anything", followed a pattern in which one flagged interest by wearing the hanky on the left and absence of interest by wearing it on the right. Preferences that did not relate to sexual mechanics, such as uniform fetishism or prostitution, followed a pattern in which the seeker flagged on the right and the object of desire flagged on the left.[22]
Thecowboy position is anal sex in which thebottom straddles thetop.[23] The position is often cited as being advantageous for bottoms who are new to anal sex, as it allows the receiving partner to lower himself on to the other's penis at his own pace.[24]
Other terms fortop andbottom includeactive andpassive, andpitcher andcatcher.[25][26][5] The intended meanings ofactive vs.passive in reference to oral sex can be unclear, however.[27]Switch is sometimes used forversatile.[28]
The termstop,bottom andversatile do not necessarily refer literally to physical position during sex.[29] For example, if the inserting partner lies on his back and the receptive partner straddles him, the inserting partner is still considered thetop, and the receptive partner thebottom, despite their reverse physical arrangement.
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