Since 2012, the government has been spending taxpayers' money on a study involving how satisfied gay men are after their first sexual encounters.
As of 2015, the study, which is being run by The National Institutes of Health (NIH), has cost taxpayers $410,265, and, according to The Washington Free Beacon, the spending will continue until next May.
The grant for the Johns Hopkins University study states that its purpose is to examine the "meaning and function" of first "penetrative same-sex sexual experiences." According to the grant, there is a lack of information surrounding the topic.
"Prior work has demonstrated that same-sex relationship trajectories support the development of self-esteem in young gay and bisexual men, while opposite same-sex relationships may be associated with homonegativity," the grant states. "Little is known about the meaning and function of first same-sex experience in [African-American] AA adolescent men and whether satisfaction with first penetrative same-sex experience impacts sexual trajectories."
Ultimately, the researches want to see how first sexual encounters affect future relations with gay men.
"The goal of this project is to understand the meaning and function of first same-sex sexual experience and to prospectively be able to assess its impact on subsequent sexual experiences, young adult sexual health and health protective behaviors," the grant said. "...The research phase of the award is to explore the reasons for and satisfaction with first and subsequent penetrative same-sex sexual experiences (PSSE) and to examine the role of first PSSE on second and subsequent PSSEs in AA men (Study 1) and how social context impacts sexual satisfaction with first PSSE," the grant said.
The NIH grant also states that the study is needed because it will help HIV prevention.
Race is playing a part in the study as well. Forty-five African American adolescent males are going through "in-depth" interviews because, as the grant states, there is not enough research focusing on African-American youths.
As the Free Beacon points out, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Dr. Renata Arrington-Sanders, the study's lead researcher, has experience on this topic:
"Arrington-Sanders previously studied why some young African-American gay men seek out older partners, finding that older partners had 'emotional maturity,' could expose them to 'more life experiences,' and helped young men 'sort through sexual position and how to perform in relationships,'" the Free Beacon reported.
