Tops, bottoms, and verses (or, "switches") are terms that refer to sexual preferences within the queer community. Tops generally like to be the more dominant person during sex, while. In the LGBTQ+ community, particularly within the realm of male-male relationships, the term "vers" or "versatile" refers to individuals who are comfortable and open to both the top and bottom roles during sexual encounters.
A bottom can be someone who prefers to be submissive and on the surrendering side of sex acts. Those two examples aren’t necessarily centered on penetration. Therefore, top, bottom, switch, and vers aren’t labels that are inherently synonymous with sex positions or the act of sex itself. For gay men, those terms are almost always in reference to penetrative sex.
A “top” is the one who penetrates, a “bottom” is the one who is penetrated, and a “vers” or versatile person can enjoy either. Versatile men play a key role in challenging traditional perceptions of gay sex roles. By embracing the fluidity of sexual preferences, they highlight the diversity that exists within the LGBTQ+ community and help break down stereotypes around what it means to be ‘top’ and ‘bottom’.
View image in fullscreen. One of the key aspects of being the top is open and clear communication with your partner. A "stone top" refers to someone who only likes to "give" during sex and not receive. Other men have been fashioning their own informational videos on TikTok, including the model Barrett Pall, who has 1.
He sees a side approach as useful for straight people as well, including women who find penetrative sex painful or who prefer oral techniques. Emotionally and psychologically, being a bottom can have many different meanings and experiences for different people. The problem, again, is heteronormativity aligning the insertive partner with masculinity and having more power. For people with vaginas , it can mean preferring to give oral sex rather than receive, according to queer publication Autostraddle.
Small Business. Related stories. Lifestyle Entertainment. Verses or switches are what they sound like — people who like to top and bottom interchangeably during sex. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Why am I ashamed of this? The approach can also reintroduce sex to gay and straight men who have erectile issues, because side techniques can make orgasm easier to achieve for some.
For some, it may mean a kind of vulnerability and openness that requires trusting and communicating with your partner. Oliva finds that people who bottom are largely looked down upon within the community, an issue he said is rooted in heternormative sexism. Once there, they can scroll through an endless stream of guys, from handsome to homely, bear to twink.
This level of communication can foster intimacy and trust between partners. Talking to the Side Guys, and reading their posts, makes clear that they all have different stories and different preferences. Tech Science. It is important that we confront these stigmas and approach the understanding of sex roles with more care and respect. For this, keep a few things in mind:. But they bond over two things.
In the context of sexual intercourse, it refers to a person who does not want to engage in anal sex at all. Miles Oliva, a Brooklyn-based sexual health advocate and educator, has spent the past three years ridiculing tops on Instagram. At the same time, the LA-based gay comedian Michael Henry has created a hilarious, but sympathetic, mock-tutorial on sides that has earned more than , YouTube views in the last few weeks, making it one of his most viewed clips.
A person with the role of verse can be both the giver and receiver of penetration in sex. Obviously, NotAllTops, but many tops take on this masculine, unemotional, selfish sexual persona. Versatile people find pleasure in both giving and receiving, which makes the sexual experience more versatile and dynamic.
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