Group sex in the time of COVID: Intimacy, learning and community-building in sexual communities during a pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 has had a profound effect on every aspect of contemporary life, including sexuality. Physical distancing measures and limitations on large gatherings explicitly restrict in-person group sex events. We sought to understand how the pandemic and associated public health control measures have affected group sex practitioners and activities. Methods: We used a community-based participatory research approach. In fall 2019, we recruited a Community Advisory Board (CAB) of group sex key informants via community agencies, social media, and relevant websites (e.g., FetLife, Squirt). To be eligible, participants had to be at least 18 years old and have recently participated in a local group sex event (i.e. sex, broadly defined, with more than 3 people). Ethics approval was secured for the CAB as a longitudinal focus group study. Focus group meetings were audio recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. In December 2019, participants were asked about definitions of group sex. In May 2020, participants were asked about COVID-19 impacts. Results: Key informants shared that due to COVID-19 restrictions, group sex events were cancelled and participants only had sex with others they were isolating with. Participants emphasized the challenges of isolation, the need to be patient, but also the opportunities associated with isolation. Participants reported attending online group sex events (e.g. Zoom orgies) as well as skill-building classes (e.g. rope bondage). Participants anticipated in-person events in the future, but felt that moving online opened up new opportunities for community-building. Conclusions: Participants adhered to physical distancing protocols and quickly adapted to social isolation through innovative use of technology.

A Wandering Eye: Sexually Explicit Media Usage of MSMs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of people's lives in some fashion [1]. During and even after country lock-down phases, individuals changed their sexual activities to follow public health guidance [2]. Along with the COVID changes, the General Social Survey [3], showed a decrease in adults saying they did not have sex once within the past year-from 23% in both 2016 and 2018 to 26% in 2021.…”

More than Two… but not Right Now: Interpretations and Responses to Covid-19 Measures on Reddit for Two Communities of Consensual Non-Monogamy

“…Unsurprisingly, a recent qualitative investigation of CNM parents found that parents spent less time with non-cohabiting partners during the May-December 2020 period of the pandemic (Manley & Goldberg, 2021 ). However, CNM parents also deployed creative responses by queering family practices, which include some combination of disengagement with non-cohabiting partners, connecting over technology, having partners move in with them, and incorporating their non-cohabiting partner into their quarantine pod or bubble (Manley & Goldberg, 2021 ; Fournier et al, 2021 ). The degree to which these challenges or opportunities are reflected in discourse surrounding Covid-19 may highlight the role of social media in identity-making communication for these two communities, which we elaborate on in the next section.…”