Bud-sex, Dude-sex, and Heteroflexible Men: The Relationship between Straight Identification and Social Attitudes in a Nationally Representative Sample of Men with Same-sex Attractions or Sexual Practices

We examine the relationship between straight identification and nonsexual social factors among men who are attracted to men and/or have had two or more male sexual partners. All data come from the 2011–2013 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), a nationally representative sample of Americans aged 15 to 44. We estimate that 7.4 percent of men, aged 15 to 44, are in this population, and that 52.4 percent identify as straight, demonstrating sexual diversity within heterosexuality and identity diversity among men with same-sex practices and/or attractions. Weighted logistic regression indicates that conservative attitudes about child rearing and gays/lesbians are associated with increased likelihood of straight identification. Latino and black men are not significantly more likely to identify as straight than white men. While impossible to determine causality, when put in dialogue with related qualitative studies, the results suggest that for men with same-sex sexuality, attitudes about sexuality and child rearing may affect the meaning-making processes that influence heterosexual identification.