title: Behind closed doors: an exploration of kinky sexual behaviors in urban lesbian and bisexual women.
abstract: This study of 347 urban, self-identified lesbian (n = 289) and bisexual (n = 58) women examined women's engaging in 4 kinky sexual behaviors: bondage/domination, sadomasochism, photo/video exhibitionism, and asphyxiation/breath play. A cross-sectional, brief-intercept survey was administered at 2 New York City gay, lesbian, and bisexual community events. Over 40% reported engaging in at least 1 of these behaviors, and 25% reported engaging in multiple behaviors. Bisexual women were more likely to have engaged in any kinky sexual behavior and photo/video exhibitionism. White women were more likely than women of color to have engaged in bondage/domination. Compared to older women, younger women were more likely to have engaged in photo/video exhibitionism and asphyxiation/breath play. Participants who were younger when they came out to others, and younger at their same-sex sexual debut, were more likely to have engaged in any and each of the behaviors compared to women who were older at those developmental events.
authors.affiliation: Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training, City University of New York New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Julia C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tomassilli
authors.forename: Sarit A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Golub
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Bimbi
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Parsons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D010262:Paraphilic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires