Social Interaction and Safer Sex at Sex Parties: Collective and Individual Norms at Gay Group Sex Venues in NYC

Sex-on-premise venues for gay/bisexual men have been identified as high-HIV risk environments, partly because they seem to have norms discouraging discussion of safer sex. This study investigated individual and collective norms about social and sexual interaction in these venues through qualitative interviews with 20 men recruited from private sex parties in New York City. All participants recognized that there was a collective norm encouraging casual conversation at sex parties, which was supported by organizational features of these events; however, participants' willingness to engage in social interaction ranged widely. Although conversation seemed pervasive in the social area of parties, most participants said there was no conversation in the sexual area and very few participants reported ever asking potential sex partners about HIV status or safer-sex preferences. Participants preferred going to events that set clear expectations regarding condom use (either "safer-sex" or "bareback" parties). These data point to a dichotomy in the norms of sex parties where conversation is expected in the social area of a venue but inappropriate around sexual activity. Sexual health interventions targeted to this population are more likely to be successful if they take the social and sexual norms of these events into account.