With a few clicks, there’s a possibility of meeting a sexual partner within the hour.
The screen full of half-naked men excites users. The most common reason users gave for going on the app is that sex feels great and Grindr makes it accessible, right at your fingertips. And that can make them hard to stop using. Apps like Grindr are designed to make finding sex easy. It’s a small sample size, but enough to give us some clues about how Grindr is affecting gay men. I received about 50 responses (including propositions). I created a profile identifying myself as a medical writer looking to talk to men about their experiences. Since there’s little published research on the men using Grindr, I decided to conduct an informal survey and ask men why they’re on the app so much and how it’s affecting their relationships and mental health. I am all for sexual liberation, but I can’t stop wondering if these apps also have a negative effect on gay men’s mental health. Apps like Grindr, with 3 million daily active users, and others like Scruff and Jack’d, are designed to help gay men solicit sex, often anonymously, online. Today in Boston, two men can walk down the street holding hands without consequence.īut I’m worried by the rise of the underground digital bathhouse. The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. I can filter them by body type, sexual position (top, bottom, or versatile), and HIV status.Īs a gay psychiatrist who studies gender and sexuality, I’m thrilled with the huge strides we’ve made over the past decade to bring gay relationships into the mainstream. Scrolling down, I find 100 similar profiles within a one-mile radius of my apartment in Boston. He’s called “looking4now,” and his profile explains that he wants sex at his place as soon as possible. Learn about prescription medications that now help prevent HIV before exposure and after exposure (for example, through sex, injection drug needles, or other accidental exposure at work).When I open the Grindr app on my smartphone, I see there’s a 26-year-old man with tanned abs just 200 feet away.
Get free condoms at adult venues, health clinics, college campuses, bars, and clubs. Put on condoms correctly every time with your partner. Learn about free or low-cost STD clinic services and HIV testing services.Check out Do It RIght, The Miriam Hospital STD Clinic's website for information about getting tested for HIV and STDs.
If your partner has syphilis, you should get tested immediately.
All sexually-active people should get tested yearly, and perhaps more often if you have multiple sex partners.If left undetected and untreated, late-stage syphilis can lead to muscle movement difficulties, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia.
You may have syphilis and not have any symptoms, so being tested for it by a doctor is important. It can spread through oral sex or anal sex. Syphilis has been on the rise among gay/bisexual men in Rhode Island.