Advertising Patterns of internet-Based Male Sex Workers Who Have Sex With Men (MSMSW): The Association Between LGBTQIA+ Events and Advertising for Work During the 2022 Pride Season

Abstract

Research into populations of male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) has historically been stymied given the illegal, stigmatized nature of the profession. The internet has shaped how many sex workers advertise their services to clients. Few studies, however, have leveraged internet advertising data to inform MSMSW-specific public health programming and/or outreach efforts. The primary aim of this study was to describe the association between MSMSW advertising during LGBTQIA+ events in U.S. cities during the 2022 pride season. Data were web-scraped at weekly intervals from an internet platform popular among MSMSW in 16 U.S. cities with scheduled LGBTQIA+ events over 18 weeks June to October 2022. For each city, a Poisson regression was fitted for the outcome of number MSMSW advertisements/week and the association with LGBTQIA+ pride events (binary, no/yes), adjusted for month. Cities with the greatest number of MSMSW advertisements were New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago, with 848.2 ( SD = 48.0), 293.3 ( SD = 34.7), and 252.3 ( SD = 22.8) mean weekly advertisements, respectively. LGBTQIA+ events were significantly ( p < .05) associated with an increased number of MSMSW advertisements in San Francisco (incidence rate ratios (IRRs) = 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–1.25, p < .001), New York City (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.05–1.26, p < .005), and Chicago (IRR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.12–1.39, p < .001). In these jurisdictions, LGBTQIA+ events could represent opportunities to overcome barriers to reaching MSMSW; findings from this study may assist in identifying priority cities for MSMSW-specific sexual health initiatives.