“Cumdump” is a slang term in the gay community for a man whose primary sexual goal is to receive ejaculates from multiple partners within a limited period, either serially or at a group sex party; the concept is most often framed by scholars through risk-based and pathologizing discourses, but the development of PrEP and effective HIV medications changes the willingness of some gay men to subscribe to identities based on barebacking and receptive sex. A new UK study explores the lived experiences of gay and bisexual men who identify as cumdumps, situating the cumdump as a distinct sexual subculture and identity within the broader barebacking community, which imbues semen with powerful symbolic and affective meanings. Three experiential themes were developed on the basis of semi-structured interviews with a small number of self-identified cumdumps: (1) some see it as competitive athleticism (how many loads can I hold compared to other cumdumps?), (2) some also derive pleasure from being objectified as a sex toy or in objectifying the top as a “human dildo,” so the power relation is not one-sided, inasmuch as the cumdump gets to choose who is invited to the party and uses the tops for gratification just as much as they use him, and (3) some enjoy the transgression of conventional standards, discarding the shame and repression surrounding safe sex protocols or social demands to limit oneself to certain exclusionary criteria in selecting partners.
“Cumdump” as a Sexual Identity
