ORIGINAL PAPER Sex Toy Use by Gay and Bisexual Men in the United States Joshua G. Rosenberger • Vanessa Schick • Debby Herbenick • David S. Novak • Michael Reece Received: 22 February 2010 / Revised: 21 August 2010 / Accepted: 27 November 2010 / Published online: 4 January 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010 Abstract Recent studies have documented that vibrators are an important part of the sexual repertoires of both men and women and have demonstrated positive sexual health out- comes among individuals who use such products. However, little is known about the use of other sexual enhancement products, particularly among gay and bisexually identified men. This study sought to document the extent to which gay and bisexually identified men report using sex toys and the sexual and relational situations within which they used them. Data were collected via an internet-based survey from 25,294 gay and bisexually identified men throughout the U.S. recruited from an Internet site popular among men seeking social or sex- ual interactions with other men. A majority (78.5%) of gay and bisexually identified men reported having used at least one type of sex toy, including dildos (62.1%), non-vibrating cock rings (51.9%), vibrators (49.6%), butt plugs (34.0%), mas- turbation sleeves (27.9%), and anal beads or balls (19.3%). Among users, toys such as dildos or butt plugs were commonly inserted into one’s own anus during masturbation (95.7%, n = 11,781) and insertion into their partners anus (72.0% n = 4,197) during partnered sexual activities. These data suggest that sex toy use is common among gay and bisexual men during both solo and partnered sexual activities and considered by these men as enhancing the quality of their sexual experiences. Keywords Sex toys Á Sexual orientation Á Gay Á Bisexual Á Sexual behavior Introduction Since the mid-20th century, researchers have devoted signif- icant attention to the sexual identities and behaviors of gay and bisexually identified populations, resulting in a broad array of demographic and sexual profiles of men from these commu- nities in the sexuality, sociological, and health-related litera- tures. Collectively, this body of work has established that gay men’s sexual behavior patterns reflect diversity in both the types of sexual behaviors and the number and types of sexual partners with whom such behaviors are practiced (Kingsley et al., 1987; Winkelstein et al., 1987). Unfortunately, due to the disproportionate impact of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among communities of gay and bisexual men (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006), the major- ity of work focused on the sexual behaviors of these men over the past two decades has frequently been situated within an HIV-related context. Given the magnitude of this ongoing public health challenge, such an emphasis on HIV has been warranted; however, this focus has resulted in a body of lit- erature about these men that is highly centered on disease and has not fully allowed for an exploration of the full manner in which these men construct their sexual lives (Reece & Dodge, 2004). Absent from the literature on gay and bisexual men has been work related to the extent to which these men practice certain behaviors with, or incorporate the use of, sexual enhance- ment products (e.g., sex toys) into their sexual repertoires and whether men doing so report that these products enhance the nature and quality of their sexual experiences. Not only has there been limited work on the use of such products by men who identify as gay or bisexual, the scientific J. G. Rosenberger (&) Á V. Schick Á D. Herbenick Á M. Reece Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University, 1025 East Seventh Street, HPER 116, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA e-mail: jorosenb@iupui.edu D. S. Novak Online Buddies, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA 123 Arch Sex Behav (2012) 41:449–458 DOI 10.1007/s10508-010-9716-y