RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Add as preferred source A new study has found that sexual role identities among men who have sex with men vary systematically by age and geographic region.
Written by Dr. Morten Thomsen, University of Oxford; Dr. Francesco Rampazzo, The University of Manchester and associate member, University of Oxford; and Milan Kovačič, the paper argues that these labels are shaped by social and cultural contexts rather than being fixed or universal. The research is published in The Journal of Sex Research .
The findings challenge assumptions that younger generations are moving away from traditional sexual role labels, suggesting instead that these identities are being used in increasingly flexible ways shaped by context.
Men who have sex with men may use specific labels to refer to their preferred sexual role within penetrative sexual activities. The most common of these are Top (someone who prefers a penetrative role), Bottom (someone who prefers a receptive role) and Versatile (someone who may take either role without a strong preference).
However, the study notes that these categories are not just descriptions of sexual preferences; they also function as social identities that can carry significant meanings extending beyond sexual behavior.
Because these labels can carry social consequences—including stigma, assumptions about gender and perceived group membership—individuals may avoid labels that accurately describe their desires or behavior, or adopt labels that do not fully reflect them. This means that sexual role labels are often chosen strategically, decided not only by sexual preferences but also by wider social norms and cultural contexts that may vary across generations and settings.
To examine these patterns, the researchers analyzed cross-sectional data from 141,156 active users of Surge, a gay dating app and chat platform with more than 8.5 million users.
The study found that most users did not specify a sexual role, although younger men were more likely than older users to disclose one. Younger users were also more likely to identify as Bottom or Versatile, while older users were more likely to identify as Top.
This contrasts with previous research suggesting that younger cohorts are increasingly rejecting traditional labels, pointing instead to a more complex dynamic in which labeling and nonlabeling may coexist as parallel strategies of self-presentation, rather than representing a simple generational divide.
"Sexual role identification remains an important dimension of sexual and romantic culture among many men who have sex with men," said Thomsen. "Our findings suggest that sexual role categories are being used in increasingly flexible and context-dependent ways within contemporary digital environments, especially among younger users."
Regional differences were also identified—Versatile was the most common identity in Europe and Oceania, while Bottom was most common in the Americas and Africa. Users in Europe and Asia were substantially more likely to specify a sexual role than those in the Americas or Africa, consistent with differences in social stigma, local sexual cultures and platform-specific norms.
The study demonstrates that large-scale dating app data can provide valuable insights into sexuality, identity and self-presentation among men who have sex with men worldwide, while also highlighting how app design and platform features may influence what users choose to disclose.
"Dating apps provide a unique window into how people choose to present themselves. While our data can't tell us exactly why people adopt particular labels, it allows us to observe patterns across generations and countries on a scale that has not been possible before," said Rampazzo.
Francesco Rampazzo et al, Top, Bottom, or Versatile? Sexual Role Trends Across Generations and Regions on a Gay Dating App, The Journal of Sex Research (2026). DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2026.2710145 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/1 … 0224499.2026.2710145
Journal information: Journal of Sex Research
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