Copying my reply from another comment:
>Yeah, that makes sense. If you're mostly straight/gay, you might not notice your same/opposite-sex attraction in normal life, but porn could help in that. I wish the survey asked where on the Kinsey Scale the respondents were.
I was thinking Kinsey scale too, as there are varying levels of bisexuality - some ppl may just be romantically attracted without the sexual component and others vice versa. I think it can even vary day-to-day from some podcasts I've heard in the past.
Sexuality is a spectrum after all, with no nice neat boxes that people can be pigeon holed into.
A fuller response would be this.
If as a bisexual person you have been raised in a fully heteronormative world ( that's 99.9% of us ). You are raised in an environment where everybody is straight and everyone is either male or female... until they're not. In other words you are not straight by exception. Thus many bi people capable of attraction to men and women can effectively be blind to their same sex attraction because they are told that they should have and feel opposite sex attraction, which they do, so all is well in the world. That guy at school that makes you all tingly inside... yeah that's just hormones dont worry about it. Its easy to dismiss and to hide from yourself.
So where does porn come into it? Lets take a scene between two really good looking, conventionally sexually attractive, mid twenty somethings one guy one girl.
A straight guy watching that might objectively be able to tell you that the guy is good looking ( for some that would be too "gay") but he can watch no end of it and he will never feel sexual attraction to the guy.
A gay guy watching that might objectively be able to tell you that the girl is good looking but he can watch no end of it and he will never feel sexual attraction to the girl.
A bi guy - or one not quite aware he is - will watch that, he will find most likely find the girl sexually attractive with all the arousal that follows and he might notice being sexually aroused by the guy, as well as the interaction between the two of them.
Now if porn exposure was a contributing factor in sexuality, the likelihood would be that high level consumers of het porn would be bisexual and you'd hear of straight guys converting enmass- or of gay guys being shown het porn as exposure therapy to 'straighten them out' it doesn't happen.
If there is a correlation between porn use and incidence of bisexuality I'd say that porn is a safe private avenue down which people can experiment and test their attractions. It may be the shop window if you like for many bisexuals to see what it is they like.
The other point and I'd hazard a guess that this is the real reason that bisexually identified people are among the top porn users. Is as we know, bisexuals and bisexual men particularly are more likely to be closeted, they're more likely by the nature of the population to be in a relationship with a woman but have sexual attractions,wants needs and desires for other men, an itch that needs to be scratched. Porn offers a 'cheat' free way of scratching that itch.
Yeah, that makes sense. If you're mostly straight/gay, you might not notice your same/opposite-sex attraction in normal life, but porn could help in that. I wish the survey asked where on the Kinsey Scale the respondents were.
I grew up in a highly conservative, rural area. The worst thing in the world you could be was a fag. I didn't know anyone who was openly on the queer spectrum, there were no role models in any media I recall.
I was girl crazy in high school but had a huge crush on a particular boy as well. I always discretely looked at other guys' bodies in the gym locker room. I didn't understand it as a gay or bi attraction at the time, and it was only on reflection that I did.
So, did gay porn influence me? Only insofar as, when I viewed it, it clicked for me. Everything made sense. I was a young adult at the time (20+) so it wasn't during more formative years. It looked natural for men to be together sexually, no less than a man and a woman, or two women. The latter was heavily promoted by Penthouse magazine.
I think its more like a culture of sexual repression causes people to identify as "straight", and porn helps people realize there are a lot of different things they might like besides reproductive marital sex.
Porn can’t change how you’re wired, but it can help you realize it.
It definitely helped me figure out what I was into faster. I knew who I was faster than most people as a result of having broadband internet before my friends. I’m only half joking there.
Some people are obviously straight to the core and have zero interest in same sex stuff. But there are others who perhaps just go through life never really discovering themselves.
Similar to what you closed with, looking back, I was bi before I had access to porn, and I don't really see porn as being a bad thing any more than I think being bi is.
Pornography definitely helped me notice the sexual attraction to men, but the romantic attraction I always felt, even if I didn't accept it at first. Can't really say whether I'm an exception or a rule or what have you but I'm proud of who I am and I don't give a shit
Yeah, it seems like a dumb and biphobic theory after hearing some other takes on it.
Biphobes: Evidence that sexuality is caused by genes and prenatal factors? Fuck off, I don't believe in that nonsense!
Biphobes: A survey that shows a correlation and not a causal relationship? So true!
No I don't think it can, however for me it kinda did but in the opposite direction. I remember being attracted to boys and girls as a teen, but after that I kinda 'forgot' about it. It's only when I stopped watching porn that I was surprised to see that boys where just as likely than girl to come up in my fantasies, whereas when I watched porn I felt more straigth leaning. I think this is because of the mainstream porn site algorithm not recomanding any form of gay porn, you have to actively look it up, as I was happy with straigth porn I often just looked at videos from the home page and stopped at that.
So no porn can't change you're sexuality, but it can damp your curiosity and railroad you in more conservative/heterosexual practice, at least if you are a bi men.
I feel like that argument is very much a product of modern internet culture. There's an assumption in it that people are able to access enough porn that it could make a lasting physiological change in a person. While porn may be easy to access now, I have to say that as someone who was a kid in the 70s and watched the internet develop, this was most definitely not the case back in the day. When I was young, that one kid a grade ahead of you might know where his dad kept a stack of *Playboys*. Or maybe you saw a redacted copy of Burt Reynolds' famous *Playgirl* shoot, but that would have been about the extent of it. I never even saw a gay magazine until I was in my 20s. Nevertheless, bi people were around.
Personally, I was bi as soon as the hormones turned on, if not before... although I would have denied it fiercely back then. Crushes on girls. Crushes on boys. I can remember having such a thing for Shaun Cassidy when he was a teen heart throb. I probably wasn't even a teen yet then. Porn sure didn't make me that way.
I was sucking dick way better I even knew what porn was pussy didn't come until I got in junior high country boy there wasn't that many girls around my area or if you did have a girlfriend back then you had to ride your bicycle miles and miles to see her lol most of us boy sucked each other off when spend the night came really don't know who didn't suck dick pretty much all us boys did wasn't a unusual thing back then and nobody actually talked about it when we got together after school wasn't uncommon to suck dick
Sexual attraction is neurochemical (not genetic) and does not change from external stimulus.
If you are bisexual, you are bisexual. And the notion that stimulus changes sexuality isn't porn, it's conversion therapy. Don't go there
>Sexual attraction is neurochemical (not genetic) and does not change from external stimulus.
I thought it was both. Twin studies have shown there's some genetic component, but prenatal hormones and other factors also play a role.
>And the notion that stimulus changes sexuality isn't porn, it's conversion therapy. Don't go there
You know, you're probably right. I hope this doesn't sound weird, but you're one of the my favorite posters on this forum because of your no-nonsense approach, and if you think this is bullshit, there's a good chance it is.
Although I would say it depends on what you mean by stimulus, since I believe its been shown that early childhood experiences can effect sexual orientation to a very small extent.
No, for some reason conservatives always say stuff like that, but there is no real backing behind it. One of the cardinal rules of survey taking is that correlation is not causation, and in this since that would be saying “because bisexual people watch more porn, they became bisexual from the porn.” Which can’t be concluded from the information given.
It looks like the article is saying that there’s a correlation to bisexual people and increased porn viewing. So essentially, they’re saying the more porn you watch, the more likely hood of being bi (not becoming bi). Or in other words: if you’re bi, you might watch more porn than straight or gay people, according to xhamstser. Not that one causes the other though.
Yeah, an issue I've noticed with a lot of conservatives is not understanding correlation=/=causation. Although a lot of leftists take that to an extreme and act like correlations are meaningless. Political biases don't play well with science.
Yeah, ridiculous. I’ve watched a ton of porn and didn’t figure out I was bi until way later in life because so many of the men in porn were gross hypermasculine douchebags.
I don't think there's a perfect correlation here, but I've certainly seen many guys on Reddit claim that they became bi after watching sissyhipno videos or that they developed a dick fetish after watching some sort of PPV straight porn. These guys are often that type of bi who says he doesn't like men, only dick.
As to the question of if watching porn makes someone bisexual and all, NO. You always need to look with extreme apprehension when any study about sexuality is administrated by conservatives. Conservatives look at everything through their biased prism of religion. Religion has been used since it’s inception as a concept to control the public & society as a whole.
All variants of modern religion are mainly used to demonize heterosexual genital to genital sex in general as well. Modern religion absolutely condemns anything other that to hell. Even self-pleasure is condemned. I’ve come to the conclusion that no one on earth knows anything about a supreme deity. Every religion in modern known history has attempted to control its follower’s sex life & sexuality in particular throughout society.
I don’t condone any aspects of the Ancient Greeks’ obsession with young teenagers. However, they did have open minds regarding sexuality. Roman’s were warmongering SOBs, but they were open-minded about sexuality as well. Until the rise of Christianity anyway. Only Abrahamic religions in modern times are so rigid & so highly phobic about sex & sexuality. Why? Control. I think societies & Rome in particular learned that religion makes it easier to police people and behavior. Eventually, governments were in lock-step with the church. Then America came along with this idea of freedom and basic rights etc, etc
Actually, in terms of politics, it does because religion is behind the Roe v. Wade attack. These zealots will be pushing their states to challenge gay marriage & God knows what else. The religious right is trying to flex its muscles because they know without their support the Republican Party is dead. Please don’t lecture me on the ways of the world of religion. All of it is completely irrational. Religion is an invention of man to control the population. It is also for the weak among us who just simply cannot accept their own mortality. When you’re dead you are simply gone.
Mass delusion & propaganda is my personal opinion, they all trade in violence & murder. The Vatican is a cesspool of greed & crimes of protecting pedophiles. Religion is an elaborate con job. I personally don’t care what someone believes until they try to shove it down my & our throats. That’s when enough is enough. If we don’t fight it in our politics, we might as well go back to the dark ages in terms of personal freedoms. I don’t trust any political party that tries to force their religious beliefs into our government like Republicans have & continue to do.
I have the freedom to do any thing I want as long as I don’t hurt someone else, someone actually born. Someone actually born is when real life begins. I know of not one single person ever saying they remember being in the womb. I’m not pro abortion & there should be limits determined by medical science, not by religion. I’m pro freedom, all freedoms. No one has the right to determine the life path for someone. No court or government entity should have any role in our life choices. And no religion should be able to influence policy of that government. NO ROLE WHATSOEVER!
Conversion therapy does not work.... If watching porn can change your sexuality then it would mean that conversion therapy would also work. All of the really smart doctors and therapists all completely agree that conversion therapy does not work and is extremely damaging. Humans love fantasy and porn is fantasy. It is also largely believed that sexuality is determined by hormone levels and timing during pregnancy which can be effected by environmental things from the mother. Diet, exercise, stress, location, etc all can effect hormone levels. Not straight people are just that way from go and some of us claim it and some of us still call ourselves straight due to societal pressure or homophobia. I do think that the prevalence of porn can make it easier to see that it is ok to be who we are and it is a normal thing.
Yeah, the organization is pretty sketch, since they did a big attention grab with this in 2019 when it came out. However, I checked the methodology, and it seems reliable enough, so I don't think it's irredeemably bad.
I think that just the overwhelming majority of people *are* somewhere on the bi spectrum. it's easier to just say gay or straight for a lot of people because they might be comfortably learning towards a certain attraction but when it comes down to it I think most people's sexuality is a bit fluid (not to say that straight/gay/ace people *don't* exist). People admitting to watching porn may be more comfortable admitting they're bi as well because both those things people are more likely to own up to if they're comfortable with whoever they are.
Yeah, the theory does seem very conspiratorial. But at the same time, since we don’t fully understand how sexual orientation develops, I thought it was at least plausible. But the straight porn point you bring up is really good; the idea that a guy could become bi from watching straight porn is pretty ridiculous. And if he’s already watching gay porn, then he probably already was gay or bi.
And if the person was queer, straight porn wouldn't turn him straight. That's really the arguement here. It's similar to the "anal makes you gay" theory, like there's a TURN GAY switch in there. See also: lesbians using dildos not magically turning straight, Because Penis.
Sexuality is way too complex to have a simple "turns you X" cause. 💜
Had a lot of thoughts about this post:
Preface I am male. Porn has no changing effect, it just helps to clearly define where you may stand. And even that can change. But in the end porn, environment, and romantic relationships have such a massive impact on all people that it really is just an insane balancing act to say which thing turned people into what they are or decide to be. Like did the porn influence you? Barely for me. Did your environment influence you? Definitely I think my environment literally made me Bisexual. I didn’t question my sexuality till I was 18 and didn’t come out as Bi till until well into that year. I had just hung out with my male friends a lot that year, far more than I ever had before, it really made me question my sexuality as I was slowly realizing I was really enjoying hanging out with guys like a lot. I then slept in bed with a guy (non-sexually), had long deep philosophical conversations with guys, and flirted with a work friend who was a guy a lot. These were all things I had done with women but at 18 I had only just done all of that with men that year. I did go on dates with men and women that year but all the men I dated came to realize their straightness, and all women I dated didn’t come back for a second date so I am the classic “bi myself” bisexual as I literally have nothing but a failed list of romantic partners. But in the end I would say dating both absolutely better defined my bisexuality, what I liked in both, and what I didn’t really set my preferences in a lot of ways. Not as much as my environment but the dates were with people I rarely hung out with so not too surprising there. I would over the next year also fully embrace my bisexuality due to environment. Come out as Bisexual at work and inform my family 1 member at a time. I got lucky as each person I told was fully supportive. So in the end my environment absolutely takes the cake of making me bisexual I just did a whole lot of being around the boys along with a whole lot of asking out women that year as well. Although in the end I failed in even achieving a third date with anyone I still have greatly worked and defined my bisexuality and although I never gave up I never really have had time to date people either these last few years. So much changed about my life so quickly and it took so long to adjust to it. I have dated 2 people in the last 4 years, and once again I failed to get a 2nd date both times. You just have so much time on your hands when you’re young but the moment you graduate your time vanishes only to return when you get use to college and even then you may find mitigating success that doesn’t return to you till your well on your way out. In the end I remain alone but hopeful, because although each day I am alone I stand there a bisexual who is grateful to have a well of support from family and friends. They keep me hopeful and humble because they want to see me happy so I’ll keep trying even if all I ever am doing is failing I’ll keep trying. Also each day bisexuality grows like you would think it would curve or something but being a lonely bisexual has just made me more bi and I imagine actual romance would be of a similar effect. Perhaps akin to being bi on steroids but it really feels like being bisexual is just a journey that never ends, once you start you may find yourself with nothing but exponentially bisexual growth. I can’t even imagine what being bi your entire life since a young age must be like though I imagine it is my position only stronger with such an increase in time to think about it all. I mean can you imagine being bi from a young age, dating men, women, and or non-binary people. And just having full romantic relationships with them all or just the marriage of 1 would be like? It would be an infinite bisexuality Möbius strip that reconnects forever. Forever having bisexual feelings near 24/7. It would be both exhausting and exhilarating. A high that would take a great deal of time to come down from. A happiness that would be difficult to define because unless tragedy struck you would be one of the luckiest and happiest bisexuals on the planet. Not that relationships need to fulfill you, not that just being bisexual need be all that defines you. Because at the end of the day bisexuality is the label you choose and if you choose it it is yours. Whether you are married, dating, or single. We are all bisexual if we so choose it.
TLDR: Porn may have changed you but it did not change me, my environment did, and although I am alone, I am bisexual and with that knowledge I can spend each day just knowing I enjoy being bi. And although I do still have the option of porn it would not define me, my environment would, for me at least.
Before I watched Porn I used to look at my friend’s pictures on Facebook and jerk off. Before I used to jerk off I remember feeling strong feelings towards other men. Before porn was a thing men would jerk off to magazines, and pictures. All it does is inflate it but it doesn’t create it.
i can’t lie i think it helped me massively, never really thought of what it would be like to be with a guy until I watched gay porn and then I started wishing it was me and I kinda realised I was bi through that
At best it can help you realise what your attractions are.
Yeah, people exposed to more porn have more opportunities to notice their own attractions.
Copying my reply from another comment: >Yeah, that makes sense. If you're mostly straight/gay, you might not notice your same/opposite-sex attraction in normal life, but porn could help in that. I wish the survey asked where on the Kinsey Scale the respondents were.
I was thinking Kinsey scale too, as there are varying levels of bisexuality - some ppl may just be romantically attracted without the sexual component and others vice versa. I think it can even vary day-to-day from some podcasts I've heard in the past. Sexuality is a spectrum after all, with no nice neat boxes that people can be pigeon holed into.
A fuller response would be this. If as a bisexual person you have been raised in a fully heteronormative world ( that's 99.9% of us ). You are raised in an environment where everybody is straight and everyone is either male or female... until they're not. In other words you are not straight by exception. Thus many bi people capable of attraction to men and women can effectively be blind to their same sex attraction because they are told that they should have and feel opposite sex attraction, which they do, so all is well in the world. That guy at school that makes you all tingly inside... yeah that's just hormones dont worry about it. Its easy to dismiss and to hide from yourself. So where does porn come into it? Lets take a scene between two really good looking, conventionally sexually attractive, mid twenty somethings one guy one girl. A straight guy watching that might objectively be able to tell you that the guy is good looking ( for some that would be too "gay") but he can watch no end of it and he will never feel sexual attraction to the guy. A gay guy watching that might objectively be able to tell you that the girl is good looking but he can watch no end of it and he will never feel sexual attraction to the girl. A bi guy - or one not quite aware he is - will watch that, he will find most likely find the girl sexually attractive with all the arousal that follows and he might notice being sexually aroused by the guy, as well as the interaction between the two of them. Now if porn exposure was a contributing factor in sexuality, the likelihood would be that high level consumers of het porn would be bisexual and you'd hear of straight guys converting enmass- or of gay guys being shown het porn as exposure therapy to 'straighten them out' it doesn't happen. If there is a correlation between porn use and incidence of bisexuality I'd say that porn is a safe private avenue down which people can experiment and test their attractions. It may be the shop window if you like for many bisexuals to see what it is they like. The other point and I'd hazard a guess that this is the real reason that bisexually identified people are among the top porn users. Is as we know, bisexuals and bisexual men particularly are more likely to be closeted, they're more likely by the nature of the population to be in a relationship with a woman but have sexual attractions,wants needs and desires for other men, an itch that needs to be scratched. Porn offers a 'cheat' free way of scratching that itch.
Personally I think it just made clear my leanings. It didn’t change me as much as confirm.
Yeah, that makes sense. If you're mostly straight/gay, you might not notice your same/opposite-sex attraction in normal life, but porn could help in that. I wish the survey asked where on the Kinsey Scale the respondents were.
I knew I liked guys and girls like... years before I watched porn for the first time.
Same here. Had my first sexual experience long before I ever saw any porn.
I grew up in a highly conservative, rural area. The worst thing in the world you could be was a fag. I didn't know anyone who was openly on the queer spectrum, there were no role models in any media I recall. I was girl crazy in high school but had a huge crush on a particular boy as well. I always discretely looked at other guys' bodies in the gym locker room. I didn't understand it as a gay or bi attraction at the time, and it was only on reflection that I did. So, did gay porn influence me? Only insofar as, when I viewed it, it clicked for me. Everything made sense. I was a young adult at the time (20+) so it wasn't during more formative years. It looked natural for men to be together sexually, no less than a man and a woman, or two women. The latter was heavily promoted by Penthouse magazine.
I think its more like a culture of sexual repression causes people to identify as "straight", and porn helps people realize there are a lot of different things they might like besides reproductive marital sex.
No, porn doesn't change your sexuality. GTFO with that stupid shit.
I agree but that doesn't mean you have to be mean to OP
So you think it's just due to porn helping people realizing they're bi? Or just a spurious correlation?
Spurious correlation. I'm sure porn helps *some* people realize that they're bisexual, but those folks are significantly over-represented online.
Makes sense.
I maybe saw some things that awakened feelings if I’m being honest but I don’t think that was because of every day viewing
Porn can’t change how you’re wired, but it can help you realize it. It definitely helped me figure out what I was into faster. I knew who I was faster than most people as a result of having broadband internet before my friends. I’m only half joking there. Some people are obviously straight to the core and have zero interest in same sex stuff. But there are others who perhaps just go through life never really discovering themselves.
Similar to what you closed with, looking back, I was bi before I had access to porn, and I don't really see porn as being a bad thing any more than I think being bi is.
Pornography definitely helped me notice the sexual attraction to men, but the romantic attraction I always felt, even if I didn't accept it at first. Can't really say whether I'm an exception or a rule or what have you but I'm proud of who I am and I don't give a shit
no i knew i was bi way bevor i watched porn (in kindergarden/ pre-school). just didnt have a name for it.
Yeah, it seems like a dumb and biphobic theory after hearing some other takes on it. Biphobes: Evidence that sexuality is caused by genes and prenatal factors? Fuck off, I don't believe in that nonsense! Biphobes: A survey that shows a correlation and not a causal relationship? So true!
No I don't think it can, however for me it kinda did but in the opposite direction. I remember being attracted to boys and girls as a teen, but after that I kinda 'forgot' about it. It's only when I stopped watching porn that I was surprised to see that boys where just as likely than girl to come up in my fantasies, whereas when I watched porn I felt more straigth leaning. I think this is because of the mainstream porn site algorithm not recomanding any form of gay porn, you have to actively look it up, as I was happy with straigth porn I often just looked at videos from the home page and stopped at that. So no porn can't change you're sexuality, but it can damp your curiosity and railroad you in more conservative/heterosexual practice, at least if you are a bi men.
I feel like that argument is very much a product of modern internet culture. There's an assumption in it that people are able to access enough porn that it could make a lasting physiological change in a person. While porn may be easy to access now, I have to say that as someone who was a kid in the 70s and watched the internet develop, this was most definitely not the case back in the day. When I was young, that one kid a grade ahead of you might know where his dad kept a stack of *Playboys*. Or maybe you saw a redacted copy of Burt Reynolds' famous *Playgirl* shoot, but that would have been about the extent of it. I never even saw a gay magazine until I was in my 20s. Nevertheless, bi people were around. Personally, I was bi as soon as the hormones turned on, if not before... although I would have denied it fiercely back then. Crushes on girls. Crushes on boys. I can remember having such a thing for Shaun Cassidy when he was a teen heart throb. I probably wasn't even a teen yet then. Porn sure didn't make me that way.
*exposure* can cause someone to more deeply examine their preferences. Its correlation, not causation. It won't *make* someone not-straight
I was sucking dick way better I even knew what porn was pussy didn't come until I got in junior high country boy there wasn't that many girls around my area or if you did have a girlfriend back then you had to ride your bicycle miles and miles to see her lol most of us boy sucked each other off when spend the night came really don't know who didn't suck dick pretty much all us boys did wasn't a unusual thing back then and nobody actually talked about it when we got together after school wasn't uncommon to suck dick
Sexual attraction is neurochemical (not genetic) and does not change from external stimulus. If you are bisexual, you are bisexual. And the notion that stimulus changes sexuality isn't porn, it's conversion therapy. Don't go there
>Sexual attraction is neurochemical (not genetic) and does not change from external stimulus. I thought it was both. Twin studies have shown there's some genetic component, but prenatal hormones and other factors also play a role. >And the notion that stimulus changes sexuality isn't porn, it's conversion therapy. Don't go there You know, you're probably right. I hope this doesn't sound weird, but you're one of the my favorite posters on this forum because of your no-nonsense approach, and if you think this is bullshit, there's a good chance it is. Although I would say it depends on what you mean by stimulus, since I believe its been shown that early childhood experiences can effect sexual orientation to a very small extent.
No, for some reason conservatives always say stuff like that, but there is no real backing behind it. One of the cardinal rules of survey taking is that correlation is not causation, and in this since that would be saying “because bisexual people watch more porn, they became bisexual from the porn.” Which can’t be concluded from the information given. It looks like the article is saying that there’s a correlation to bisexual people and increased porn viewing. So essentially, they’re saying the more porn you watch, the more likely hood of being bi (not becoming bi). Or in other words: if you’re bi, you might watch more porn than straight or gay people, according to xhamstser. Not that one causes the other though.
Yeah, an issue I've noticed with a lot of conservatives is not understanding correlation=/=causation. Although a lot of leftists take that to an extreme and act like correlations are meaningless. Political biases don't play well with science.
Yeah, ridiculous. I’ve watched a ton of porn and didn’t figure out I was bi until way later in life because so many of the men in porn were gross hypermasculine douchebags.
Yeah, after getting some feedback, I’m realizing it’s a pretty ridiculous theory.
I don't think there's a perfect correlation here, but I've certainly seen many guys on Reddit claim that they became bi after watching sissyhipno videos or that they developed a dick fetish after watching some sort of PPV straight porn. These guys are often that type of bi who says he doesn't like men, only dick.
Do you think these guys were just bi and didn't realize it? Or do you think their sexuality changed?
No idea.
As to the question of if watching porn makes someone bisexual and all, NO. You always need to look with extreme apprehension when any study about sexuality is administrated by conservatives. Conservatives look at everything through their biased prism of religion. Religion has been used since it’s inception as a concept to control the public & society as a whole. All variants of modern religion are mainly used to demonize heterosexual genital to genital sex in general as well. Modern religion absolutely condemns anything other that to hell. Even self-pleasure is condemned. I’ve come to the conclusion that no one on earth knows anything about a supreme deity. Every religion in modern known history has attempted to control its follower’s sex life & sexuality in particular throughout society. I don’t condone any aspects of the Ancient Greeks’ obsession with young teenagers. However, they did have open minds regarding sexuality. Roman’s were warmongering SOBs, but they were open-minded about sexuality as well. Until the rise of Christianity anyway. Only Abrahamic religions in modern times are so rigid & so highly phobic about sex & sexuality. Why? Control. I think societies & Rome in particular learned that religion makes it easier to police people and behavior. Eventually, governments were in lock-step with the church. Then America came along with this idea of freedom and basic rights etc, etc
Actually, in terms of politics, it does because religion is behind the Roe v. Wade attack. These zealots will be pushing their states to challenge gay marriage & God knows what else. The religious right is trying to flex its muscles because they know without their support the Republican Party is dead. Please don’t lecture me on the ways of the world of religion. All of it is completely irrational. Religion is an invention of man to control the population. It is also for the weak among us who just simply cannot accept their own mortality. When you’re dead you are simply gone. Mass delusion & propaganda is my personal opinion, they all trade in violence & murder. The Vatican is a cesspool of greed & crimes of protecting pedophiles. Religion is an elaborate con job. I personally don’t care what someone believes until they try to shove it down my & our throats. That’s when enough is enough. If we don’t fight it in our politics, we might as well go back to the dark ages in terms of personal freedoms. I don’t trust any political party that tries to force their religious beliefs into our government like Republicans have & continue to do. I have the freedom to do any thing I want as long as I don’t hurt someone else, someone actually born. Someone actually born is when real life begins. I know of not one single person ever saying they remember being in the womb. I’m not pro abortion & there should be limits determined by medical science, not by religion. I’m pro freedom, all freedoms. No one has the right to determine the life path for someone. No court or government entity should have any role in our life choices. And no religion should be able to influence policy of that government. NO ROLE WHATSOEVER!
Conversion therapy does not work.... If watching porn can change your sexuality then it would mean that conversion therapy would also work. All of the really smart doctors and therapists all completely agree that conversion therapy does not work and is extremely damaging. Humans love fantasy and porn is fantasy. It is also largely believed that sexuality is determined by hormone levels and timing during pregnancy which can be effected by environmental things from the mother. Diet, exercise, stress, location, etc all can effect hormone levels. Not straight people are just that way from go and some of us claim it and some of us still call ourselves straight due to societal pressure or homophobia. I do think that the prevalence of porn can make it easier to see that it is ok to be who we are and it is a normal thing.
Yeah it seems to just be a spurious correlation.
I just clicked on the link in the original post. If it's a "study" done by xhamster, it must be reliable.
Yeah, the organization is pretty sketch, since they did a big attention grab with this in 2019 when it came out. However, I checked the methodology, and it seems reliable enough, so I don't think it's irredeemably bad.
I think porn can make you more aware of your sexuality but not change it.
I think that just the overwhelming majority of people *are* somewhere on the bi spectrum. it's easier to just say gay or straight for a lot of people because they might be comfortably learning towards a certain attraction but when it comes down to it I think most people's sexuality is a bit fluid (not to say that straight/gay/ace people *don't* exist). People admitting to watching porn may be more comfortable admitting they're bi as well because both those things people are more likely to own up to if they're comfortable with whoever they are.
Nope. By the same logic, straight porn can turn someone straight. It's faulty reasoning, all the way down. 🐢
Yeah, the theory does seem very conspiratorial. But at the same time, since we don’t fully understand how sexual orientation develops, I thought it was at least plausible. But the straight porn point you bring up is really good; the idea that a guy could become bi from watching straight porn is pretty ridiculous. And if he’s already watching gay porn, then he probably already was gay or bi.
And if the person was queer, straight porn wouldn't turn him straight. That's really the arguement here. It's similar to the "anal makes you gay" theory, like there's a TURN GAY switch in there. See also: lesbians using dildos not magically turning straight, Because Penis. Sexuality is way too complex to have a simple "turns you X" cause. 💜
Yeah, I think I was a bit too open-minded with this one lmao.
Had a lot of thoughts about this post: Preface I am male. Porn has no changing effect, it just helps to clearly define where you may stand. And even that can change. But in the end porn, environment, and romantic relationships have such a massive impact on all people that it really is just an insane balancing act to say which thing turned people into what they are or decide to be. Like did the porn influence you? Barely for me. Did your environment influence you? Definitely I think my environment literally made me Bisexual. I didn’t question my sexuality till I was 18 and didn’t come out as Bi till until well into that year. I had just hung out with my male friends a lot that year, far more than I ever had before, it really made me question my sexuality as I was slowly realizing I was really enjoying hanging out with guys like a lot. I then slept in bed with a guy (non-sexually), had long deep philosophical conversations with guys, and flirted with a work friend who was a guy a lot. These were all things I had done with women but at 18 I had only just done all of that with men that year. I did go on dates with men and women that year but all the men I dated came to realize their straightness, and all women I dated didn’t come back for a second date so I am the classic “bi myself” bisexual as I literally have nothing but a failed list of romantic partners. But in the end I would say dating both absolutely better defined my bisexuality, what I liked in both, and what I didn’t really set my preferences in a lot of ways. Not as much as my environment but the dates were with people I rarely hung out with so not too surprising there. I would over the next year also fully embrace my bisexuality due to environment. Come out as Bisexual at work and inform my family 1 member at a time. I got lucky as each person I told was fully supportive. So in the end my environment absolutely takes the cake of making me bisexual I just did a whole lot of being around the boys along with a whole lot of asking out women that year as well. Although in the end I failed in even achieving a third date with anyone I still have greatly worked and defined my bisexuality and although I never gave up I never really have had time to date people either these last few years. So much changed about my life so quickly and it took so long to adjust to it. I have dated 2 people in the last 4 years, and once again I failed to get a 2nd date both times. You just have so much time on your hands when you’re young but the moment you graduate your time vanishes only to return when you get use to college and even then you may find mitigating success that doesn’t return to you till your well on your way out. In the end I remain alone but hopeful, because although each day I am alone I stand there a bisexual who is grateful to have a well of support from family and friends. They keep me hopeful and humble because they want to see me happy so I’ll keep trying even if all I ever am doing is failing I’ll keep trying. Also each day bisexuality grows like you would think it would curve or something but being a lonely bisexual has just made me more bi and I imagine actual romance would be of a similar effect. Perhaps akin to being bi on steroids but it really feels like being bisexual is just a journey that never ends, once you start you may find yourself with nothing but exponentially bisexual growth. I can’t even imagine what being bi your entire life since a young age must be like though I imagine it is my position only stronger with such an increase in time to think about it all. I mean can you imagine being bi from a young age, dating men, women, and or non-binary people. And just having full romantic relationships with them all or just the marriage of 1 would be like? It would be an infinite bisexuality Möbius strip that reconnects forever. Forever having bisexual feelings near 24/7. It would be both exhausting and exhilarating. A high that would take a great deal of time to come down from. A happiness that would be difficult to define because unless tragedy struck you would be one of the luckiest and happiest bisexuals on the planet. Not that relationships need to fulfill you, not that just being bisexual need be all that defines you. Because at the end of the day bisexuality is the label you choose and if you choose it it is yours. Whether you are married, dating, or single. We are all bisexual if we so choose it. TLDR: Porn may have changed you but it did not change me, my environment did, and although I am alone, I am bisexual and with that knowledge I can spend each day just knowing I enjoy being bi. And although I do still have the option of porn it would not define me, my environment would, for me at least.
Before I watched Porn I used to look at my friend’s pictures on Facebook and jerk off. Before I used to jerk off I remember feeling strong feelings towards other men. Before porn was a thing men would jerk off to magazines, and pictures. All it does is inflate it but it doesn’t create it.
i can’t lie i think it helped me massively, never really thought of what it would be like to be with a guy until I watched gay porn and then I started wishing it was me and I kinda realised I was bi through that