Evie keeps queer journalists updated about everything going on at HER. Reach out if you're doing a story on HER, Robyn, or FLINTA dating.
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Aug 09, 2023
Suns out buns out! Anal August is here! Originally started in 2012 by adult toy retailer Good Vibrations. The goal of Anal August is to educate and empower people about the pleasures of anal play and sex. Eleven years later you have one of our favorite editorial calendar holidays!
HER loves to have its finger in on the pulse of all things queer culture, especially sex! We were thrilled to connect with our community of 13 million users on the topic of anal sex, as well as their experiences and preferences.
Let’s dive into the results! 🍑🍑🍑
The HER ANALysis results showed that over half of the respondents indicated that they have tried anal play/sex (51.4%) with 30.5% of queers surveyed saying they actively participate in it. Breaking that down by age group, 23% of Gen Z respondents are in the “actively anal” category, with 33% of millennials regularly participating.
One of the most overwhelming stats from our survey results was the number of people that have participated in anal fingering. Of the folks who have tried anal sex and/or play, 81.3% have tried anal fingering with 44.8% sharing that they found fingering to be the most pleasurable ass act. Color us surprised!
Of our users who have tried anal-related play 55.3% have tried and or practiced rimming aka analingus, with 30.8% of queers surveyed having tried pegging.
56.9% of folks who participate in anal sex/play have never tried topping during the act. Our survey found that most folks who stay away from anal are afraid of one of two things: poop or pain. Since tops don’t experience much discomfort during anal, could it be that fear of unwanted or untimely poop is causing our top shortage after all? Only 14.8% of HER users are topping with any kind of regularity. So, that leaves the age-old question: Who is doing the topping?! (If you know this top send them our way! #AFAF)
Time to celebrate our bottoms because they are certainly enjoying themselves. Folks who have tried bottoming are 48% more likely to always orgasm during anal, compared to folks who have tried getting fingered. Our poor tops are also generally not orgasming during anal. Wearing a plug and getting penetrated with a toy also ranked high on the O-scale, but prostate massagers and remote-controlled toys take the cake. Folks who have dabbled in high-tech sex toys are reporting ass-tronomical rates of orgasm compared to our more analog toy users.
Now just because fingering is popular doesn’t mean the toybox is left unopened. Butt plugs and dildos are most commonly used, with 37% of respondents including disinfectant in their pre-plug rituals. Respondents reported that their toys are usually made of silicone (69.6%) and are “butt safe” (81.1%). Safe toy practices are a must because HER queers are certainly adding some buzz to the mix quite often.
When it comes to preparation, our users seem content to shower (75.1%) and use lube (74.8%) to prep for anal play. Interestingly, 22.7% prefer to douche, with 15.9% incorporating substances such as poppers or alcohol to get them in the mood.
39% of respondents said they never use protection, but those who do use condoms the most (48.4%). The good news is, a lot of our queers are practicing safe sex by limiting their number of partners, aka “fluid bonding.” As for the remainder who aren’t incorporating a form of protection, we have our sex education system to blame. Sadly, most American sex ed is centered around abstinence & preventing pregnancy and is wildly inadequate when talking about other aspects of sex, like STIs and pleasure.
Interestingly, the most common reason cited for not trying anal was concerns about poop (51.7%), followed by fear that it will hurt (28.6%). Stay tuned on our blog where some sexperts will be debunking common reasons for not trying anal, keeping you safe, sexy, and squeaky clean.
42% of respondents said they would be interested in learning more about safe anal sex practices, while 59.3% of total respondents said they always feel comfortable discussing anal sex with a partner. We’ve certainly cum come a long way, but here at HER we’d love to see those numbers rise. Sexual stigmas be damned, y’all deserve to have wild & free sexual experiences.
It’s clear from these results that anal play/sex is getting us off and enriching our relationships. If all of these gorgeous stats about orgasms and experimentation haven’t yet convinced you to try a new way of playing with your partner’s booty, check out our Q&A with a sex educator, coming this month on the HER blog.
About HER
HER, the dating app designed for LGBTQIA+ women & gnc folks, has always been an advocate for sexual health and exploration. By celebrating Anal August, we want to normalize discussions around anal play, provide information on how to engage in it safely and stress the importance of consent, communication, and comfort. It’s all about empowering individuals to discover what feels good for them.
Evie keeps queer journalists updated about everything going on at HER. Reach out if you're doing a story on HER, Robyn, or FLINTA dating.
