How big cities are hurting gay men from the country
By Samuel Leighton-Dore
I’ve always had a thing for country boys.
Growing up in the seemingly vapid rotation of Sydney’s gay dating scene, where one might share ten mutual Facebook friends with every potential Grindr date, it felt unlikely to find someone unaffected by the scene’s oft-brutal approach to sex, love and relationships; someone with a sunburnt nose, muddy boots and strong family values.
Maybe it had something to do with my mother growing up in a small town outside of Wagga Wagga, or the influence of certain film characters I found attractive as a child (embarrassingly, my first memory of being somewhat sexually aroused was watching Atreyu wade his dying horse through the mud in The NeverEnding Story when I was nine, something I’m certain has had a lasting affect on my particular susceptibility to men covered in dirt).
Anyway, I eventually nabbed a lovely country boy for myself – a freshy from Far-North QLD.
10/10 would recommend.
You’ll imagine my surprise, then, when a comprehensive new study released today suggested that gay men who move from country towns to big cities are at a greater risk of experiencing substance abuse, mental health issues, and unsafe sex.
According to the study, which was conducted in New York City and is one of the biggest to ever focus on the migration of young gay men and the subsequent physical and emotional health implications, gay men fleeing the narrow-mindedness and discrimination of some small towns for the big city life were particularly susceptible to seeking instant connection.
“Unfortunately, this might include things like excessive alcohol or drug use and sex without condoms with casual partners.” Says John Pachankis, associate professor at the Yale University School of Public Health.
Interestingly, there hasn’t really been too much research exploring the health challenges of young gay men adapting to cities. While only migrants to New York City were studied, the findings may well be relevant to other large major urban areas around the World, including Sydney.
The study, which was published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine, relied on the data collected from 273 participants on mobile app Grindr – all of whom had come to New York in the past year.
According to Pachankis, the long-term goal of their research is to identify new ways to support young rural migrants both during and after their move to ensure that they maintain good health despite some potential temptations of the big city gay scene.
“The results of our study suggest that providing avenues for healthy positive socializing outside traditional high-risk scenes is a promising direction for such an intervention,” he says.