‘So, it’s like they’re a human dildo for me … ‘: exploring the experiences and motivations of individuals who identify as a ‘cumdump’ – an IPA study

While existing research has explored practices such as barebacking and fetishised ‘cum play’, the identity of the ‘cumdump’, understood as a receptive partner whose primary sexual goal is to receive multiple ejaculates within a single session, is most often framed through risk-based and pathologising discourses. This 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 contemporary sexual health provision in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four self-identified cumdumps and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three experiential themes were developed: (1) ‘Just that sloppy, wet feeling’ (2); ‘They’re just a human dildo to me’: Power and control in the cumdump experience; and (3) ‘It’s a big turn on that people know that I don’t have any standards’. Findings present the cumdump identity as a meaningful sexual subculture rather than a purely ‘risky’ practice. Within this is a complex navigation of pleasure and power, which has historically been informed through heteronormative understandings of sexual positioning. This study contributes to understandings of sexual subcultures, pleasure and identity, while highlighting implications for expanding our understanding of sexual identity constructions within collective sex oriented sexual subcultures.