Friendships are crucial for well-being (Narr et al., 2019), and this may particularly be the case for gay men (Nardi, 1999; Nardi & Sherrod, 1994). One-way friendships have been understood is through the lens of gender segregation, which posits that same-gender friendships are more appropriate and safer than cross-gender friendships, due to a presumed lack of sexual or romantic interest between same-gender friends and similarities in communication preferences. This assertion may not hold true for gay men; however, gay men continue to report close and supportive friendships with other men. In the present study, we qualitatively explored gay men’s same-gender friendships to better understand how sexual orientation and gender influence the development and maintenance of these friendships through interviews with 15 men in the United States. In friendships with heterosexual men, participants reported heterosexism, homophobia, and self-disclosure as potential barriers, but they also reported feeling accepted by their heterosexual friends. In terms of friendships with other gay men, some participants described avoiding friendships with gay men while others reported finding community with gay men. Finally, participants described different ways in which they perceived their sexual orientation to impact their friendships. Taken together, our findings suggest that gender norms and sexual orientation play a role in how gay men experience their friendships with gay and heterosexual men.

Sexual minority individuals, due to additional chronic stress they experience from living with a marginalized identity, may be perceived as vulnerable targets by motivated perpetrators of stalking. Using campus climate data collected over 11 years, researchers explore stalking victimization with a particular focus on the experiences of sexual minority college students. To get a better understanding of stalking as experienced by this population, this study investigated descriptive qualities and prevalence of stalking victimization among college students to compare experiences of sexual minority and heterosexual individuals. Additionally, using a routine activities theory framework, this study explored multiple sexual minority identities as unique predictors of stalking victimization. Results showed that bisexual and pansexual women were significantly more likely to experience stalking than heterosexual women, and gay men were significantly more likely to experience stalking than heterosexual men. In samples that included heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual students, having a sexual minority identity predicted stalking victimization for men, and having a non-monosexual (bisexual or pansexual) identity predicted stalking victimization for women. When looking across all sexual orientations, sexual minority identity significantly predicted stalking victimization for both men and women. Results are discussed in the context of routine activities theory and future directions for exploring stalking in sexual minority populations are identified.

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Sexual assault is prevalent in the U.S. society, with an estimated 16% of women and 8% of men experiencing some form of sexual violence during their lifetime (Breiding, 2014). Sexual violence crosses all identity lines; however, legislation, cultural representation, and academic scholarship on sexual violence has historically been limited to assaults against women perpetrated by men. This dominant analysis of sexual assault focuses on the impact of sexism on sexual violence, neglecting the impact off other forms of oppression and attitudes related to sexuality and gender. This dominant representation leaves non-prototypical victims, such as men, people of other genders, and sexual minorities of all genders, less visible and less understood. This underrepresentation may lead to negative reactions toward these victims including blame, exoneration of the perpetrator, and reluctance to acknowledge assaults. In the current study, I explored the impact of both victim gender and sexual orientation on reactions to a hypothetical intimate partner sexual assault victim. Results indicated that perpetrators who assaulted a man were blamed less than those who assaulted a woman. Furthermore, study participants had more empathy for women who were assaulted than they did for men. There were no differences in participants’ negative reactions to victims by sexual orientation. Results suggest that, while some advances have been made in public support for sexual assault victims, these advances may not extend yet to men as victims.