Some researchers have found that tops report being more dominant and bottoms as more submissive ( Bailey, Kim, Hills, & Linsenmeier, 1997 Carballo-Diéguez et al., 2004 Gil, 2007 Moskowitz et al., 2008).
Regarding scientific evidence, dominance and submissiveness (i.e., power) have been suggested as potential correlates of penetrative roles. Yet, what orients men to think of themselves as tops, bottoms or versatiles is poorly understood and usually reliant on non-scientific, anecdotal evidence. These behaviors, among others, included oral intercourse, fisting, the use of sex toys, and urination on a partner as a sexual act ( Hart et al., 2003 Moskowitz et al., 2008). Tops have been found to be generally insertive, bottoms to be generally receptive, and versatiles to be amenable to either role regarding a multitude of sexual behaviors besides anal intercourse. Sexual self-labels may also refer to preferences during other types of sexual activities. Men who prefer to be exclusively receptive during anal intercourse self-identify as “bottoms,” men who prefer to be exclusively insertive during intercourse self-identify as “tops,” and men without preferences for either role during anal intercourse self-identify as “versatiles.” In addition to a self-identity, penetrative role is strongly correlated with sexual behavior during anal intercourse ( Moskowitz et al., 2008). These self-identifications have been called sexual self-labels ( Hart et al., 2003). Sociological, psychological, and public health studies document that many gay and bisexual men may self-identify by their penetrative role ( Carrier, 1977 Gil, 2007 Hart et al., 2003 Moskowitz et al., 2008 Sanderson, 1994 Wegesin & Meyer-Bahlburg, 2000 Wei & Raymond, 2010). Scant research exists regarding male same-sex anal penetrative roles. Although it is obvious why heterosexual men are insertive during sexual intercourse and heterosexual women are receptive, it is still unknown why men engaging in same-sex sex may tend towards being exclusively insertive, exclusively receptive, or both insertive and receptive during anal intercourse. Much less is known regarding penetrative roles during same-sex sexual intercourse ( Hart, Wolitski, Purcell, Gómez, & Halkitis, 2003 Moskowitz, Rieger, & Roloff, 2008), particularly given men have the physiological capacity to both penetrate and be penetrated (through anal intercourse), and lack the ability to reproduce from the sexual act. Roles are usually immutable, well defined, and correlated with physiological and psychological expressions of gender ( Campbell, 1995). Male and female penetrative roles during heterosexual sexual intercourse are theorized to have developed evolutionarily to facilitate human reproduction ( Symons, 1981). Our study suggests that the correlates of gay men’s sexual self-labels may depend on objective traits in addition to the subjective pleasure associated with receptive or insertive anal intercourse. Of the six independent variables, penis size and masculinity were the only two factors to influence concordance or discordance between identity and penetrative behavior. Versatiles fell somewhat between the tops and bottoms on these traits. They also reported being comparatively more masculine than bottoms. Generally, tops reported larger penises than bottoms. Tops and bottoms showed a high degree of concordance between identity and enacted behavior however, only half of versatiles reported concordant identity and behavior (i.e., wanting to be versatile and actually reporting versatile behavior). Additionally, the roles of masculinity and physical body traits (e.g., penis size, muscularity, height, hairiness, and weight) were tested as correlates of anal penetrative identity and identity-behavior concordance. We surveyed 429 men engaging in same-sex anal intercourse to investigate the degree to which anal penetrative self-identity was concordant with actual penetrative behavior. Yet, what orients men to think of themselves as tops, bottoms or versatiles is poorly understood. Sociological, psychological, and public health studies document that many gay and bisexual men may self-label by their anal penetrative role (i.e., bottom or exclusively receptive top or exclusively insertive or versatile, both receptive and insertive during anal intercourse).