Top, Bottom, or Versatile? Sexual Role Trends Across Generations and Regions on a Gay Dating App

Abstract

Understanding how men who have sex with men (MSM) identify with sexual role labels such as Top, Bottom, or Versatile offers descriptive insights into how sexuality, identity, and self-presentation intersect on dating platforms. Drawing on cross-sectional data from 141,156 active users of the global gay dating app Surge, this study describes age-based and regional differences in sexual role identification. We model user-reported role preferences using Poisson regression with interaction terms for age and continent, accounting for non-linear age effects and regional heterogeneity. Younger MSM were more likely to identify as Bottom or Versatile, while older users more often identified as Top. Across continents, Versatile was the most common identification in Europe and Oceania, whereas Bottom was most common in the Americas and Africa. These descriptive patterns are consistent with sexual role labels being context-dependent and may reflect age-related and cultural variation in how roles are communicated and perceived within MSM communities. The study highlights how platform-based data may help illuminate patterns of intimacy and self-presentation among MSM worldwide.