Pornhub, a popular adult entertainment platform, has released its latest insights into global gay category preferences, revealing that the “Asian” category tops the list in Nigeria despite the country’s anti-gay laws.
The findings
Africa saw a diverse range of popular categories, including Black most of all, but also Twink, Creampie, Hunk, Cartoon, and Asian.
The findings, based on the site’s 140 million daily users, offer a fascinating glimpse into the diverse tastes of viewers across continents.
In Africa, where around 30 countries criminalise homosexuality, the “Asian” category emerged as the most popular on the continent. This is despite the continent’s strict laws prohibiting same-sex relations.
READ ALSO: Pornhub Platform Sues Over EU Content Law
While the report does not provide specific reasons for this trend, it shows the diverse and sometimes unexpected tastes of viewers worldwide.
Laws against homosexuality in Africa
South Africa is the only African nation to have legalised gay marriage in 2006. While several others impose harsh penalties, including the death penalty in countries like Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan, for same-sex relations.
Around 30 African countries currently ban homosexuality, with some punishing same-sex relations extremely harshly.
In The Gambia, Kenya, and Tanzania, LGBTQ people face maximum jail terms ranging from 14 years to life imprisonment.
The insights come amid a backdrop of growing anti-gay sentiment in some African countries, with Burundi’s president Evariste Ndayishimiye recently calling for public stoning of same-sex couples. Homosexuality in Burundi, a conservative Christian country in East Africa is criminalised, with prison terms of up to two years for consensual same-sex acts.
While Uganda’s Constitutional Court rejected a bid to scrap a controversial anti-gay law that is considered one of the toughest in the world. It imposes penalties of up to life in prison for consensual same-sex relations and contains provisions that make “aggravated homosexuality” an offense punishable by death.
Ghana’s parliament voted to pass a controversial bill to severely restrict LGBTQ rights, a move condemned by activists. The bill still has to be validated by President Akufo-Addo before becoming law.
City authorities in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa have announced a crackdown on same-sex activity in hotels and bars. They called on people to report such “abominable” acts to the police.
The Addis Ababa Peace and Security Administration Bureau said it was taking measures “against hotels, restaurants, guest houses, and other entertainment venues suspected of involvement in homosexual acts.”
In a statement posted on Facebook, it said that it had already raided a guest house in Addis Ababa following a tipoff and that its manager had been arrested.
The government body “will continue to crack down on such abominable acts, which are despised by God and man, in cooperation with the police,” it says, urging people with information about same-sex activity to report it to the authorities.
Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan also signed a bill in 2014 that criminalises same-sex relationships, defying Western pressure over gay rights and provoking US criticism.
The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, and same-sex “amorous relationships.”
Societal disapproval is also high, with the majority of Africans deeming homosexuality unacceptable.
The report also highlighted the “Twink” category’s dominance in several US states and its popularity in other regions. The “Twink” category features young and thin gay men in their late teens and early twenties.
According to Pornhub Insights, “Worldwide, the dominating categories differed between the continents. However, it was hard to deny the Twink takeover from South America, Russia, and much of Europe. Bareback was the hottest category in North America. Australia had a special interest in Straight Guys. Africa saw a diverse range of popular categories, including Black most of all, but also Twink, Creampie, Hunk, Cartoon, and Asian.”
READ ALSO: Pornhub, four other sex sites face ban in France
On the western side of the United States, the Bareback category was most popular, going all the way down the coast and into Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and Wyoming. The Midwest enjoyed the Straight Guys category as well as the Black category, and a bit of the Twink category. The South was most interested in the Black category. The Twink category also got the most love in North and South Dakota, Kansas, and a few states on the East Coast.
In addition, key insights from the search data include:
Gender Distribution:
– 57% of gay porn viewers were male.
– 43% of gay porn viewers were female.
Age Group Analysis:
– The 65+ age group was 104% more likely to view gay porn compared to other groups.
– The 55-64 age group was 26% more likely to view gay porn.
– The 45-54 age group was 8% more likely to view gay porn.
– The 35-44 age group was 21% less likely to view gay porn.
– The 25-34 age group was 17% less likely to view gay porn.
– The 18-24 age group was 15% less likely to view gay porn.
