“A Double-Edged Sword”: Health Professionals’ Perspectives on the Health and Social Impacts of Gay Dating Apps on Young Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Men

Maxim Gaudette, Tara Chanady and Olivier Ferlatte authored a publication examining health professional’s perceptions of gay dating apps (GDAs) impacts for young gay, bisexual, trans and queer men (YGBTQM).

GDAs are widely used by gay, bisexual, trans and queer people, but their impacts on youth are not well known. To better understand these impacts, we interviewed 28 health professionals as they have access to privileged information about YGBTQM and can provide unique insights about GDAs impacts on YGBTQM health and well-being. Our analysis highlights how the impacts can be simultaneously positive and negative according to health professionals, which we gathered in three categories. First, health professionals explained that GDAs made sexual encounters easily accessible, which some described as making YGBTQM sexuality more transactional, while others, more pleasurable. Second, GDAs were perceived as creating a sense of community for some YGBTQM, while exposing others to more discrimination and stigma. Third, health professionals explained that GDAs can increase sexual and drug-related risks, but also represent unique opportunities for education, prevention, and intervention. To our knowledge, this is the first Canadian study to examine GDAs impacts for YGBTQM starting from the perspective of health professionals which contributes to understanding the complexities and nuances of these impacts.

To read the article :  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2022.2153786