Study: Cisgender Boys Who Report Trading Sex More Likely to Be Homeless, Have Food Insecurity

A statewide, school-based survey of Minnesota high school students found that about 1.2% of cisgender boys in 9th and 11th grades reported trading sex to receive money, food, drugs, alcohol, a place to stay or something else, according to a study published in the May 2023 Pediatrics. The study, “Sex Trading Among Adolescent Cisgender Boys” (published online April 21), observes that most research on sex trading explores cisgender girls; however, evidence suggests that cisgender boys trade sex at roughly similar or even higher rates than girls. Researchers from the University of Minnesota analyzed results of a 2019 survey that included a sample of 32,311 boys in 9th and 11th grades who self-reported that they were male and did not identify as “transgender, genderqueer, or genderfluid.” About 23.3% of cisgender boys who indicated that they had traded sex reported experiencing unstable housing in the past year, and 18% reported past month food insecurity -- rates that were significantly higher than boys who indicated never trading sex. The study also found a disproportionate representation of Black and Native+ boys who indicated trading sex compared to white, Asian and Latino boys, a finding that the authors suggest is likely related to the effects of structural racism and the experience of racial oppression. Boys who reported trading sex were also more likely than those who reported never trading sex to self-identify as gay or bisexual and to indicate their gender expression as somewhat or mostly feminine. The authors call for an expansion of clinical, social service, and school-based prevention and intervention efforts.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.