Objectification and racial homophily among Black men who have sex with men logged on to Grindr

Abstract

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately impacted by HIV infection. Evidence suggests that the racial disparity in HIV incidence among MSM may be due, in part, to high rates of racial homophily (i.e., same-race partnering) within the sexual networks of Black MSM. Among subpopulations with high HIV prevalence, such as Black MSM, homophily facilitates the formation of relatively closed networks and thus efficient disease propagation. Structural racism, including residential and occupational segregation, is a major contributor to racial homophily, but less is known about the interpersonal dynamics that may drive patterns of sexual partner selection within people's local contexts. The current study tested one hypothesis that objectification by non-Black men may lead to increased rates of same-race partnering for Black MSM. Specifically, in a vignette-style experiment, Black MSM (N = 199; Mage = 31.6) were recruited from Grindr, a geosocial networking application that connects people with physically-proximate users, and were exposed to a sexually-objectifying Grindr user. Compared to when an objectifying partner was Black, White Partner Race led participants to endorse less likelihood of engagement, an effect transmitted through its intermediate impact on state self-objectification. Critically, participants in this sample reported moderate rates of same-race partnering from Grindr (approximately 40% of past-year Grindr partners were also Black), and this mechanism was observed only among those Black MSM reporting the highest rates (i.e., 84th percentile of past-year Grindr homophily). Results suggest that objectification does not cause racial homophily, but it may interact with people's local contexts to reinforce existing racial homophily within the sexual networks of Black MSM. Implications for both HIV prevention and future research are discussed.