Bears, leathermen, drag queens, twinks, and more! A scoping review of subcultural identity groups of men who have sex with men

Subcultures are a prominent part of community life for gay, bisexual, queer, and other cisgender and trans men who have sex with men (hereafter, MSM). However, less attention has been paid to consolidating the complex and diverse literature in this space. This scoping review aimed to synthesise the empirical literature on subcultural groups of MSM to understand which (and how) subcultures have been studied. We identified 80 studies across nine databases (Ntotal = 232,103) that met inclusion criteria (i.e. empirical studies sampling subcultures of MSM). Overall, 76 subcultural groups were identified, most commonly being bears (k = 37), leathermen (k = 17), drag queens (k = 15), twinks (k = 12), daddies (k = 10), jocks (k = 10), otters (k = 10), cubs (k = 8), and house/ball community members (k = 8). Studies were clustered into five primary themes reflecting the types of outcomes and contexts through which these subcultures have been researched: (a) subcultural group comparisons, (b) community and identity (e.g. community/social connection and support, community spaces and events, subcultural norms), (c) sexual experiences (e.g. sexual practices and preferences, sexual risk and HIV), (d) gender and gender expression, and (e) psychosocial well-being (e.g. stigma and discrimination, substance use, health, body image and attractiveness). Across studies, many subcultural groups were researched alongside community-based experiences, and others remained understudied, conceptually ambiguous, or demographically limited. This review highlights the need for clearer conceptual frameworks and more representative research that centres within-group diversity as fundamental to MSM’s identity and belonging.