Queer men are getting a lot less action.

According to a recent study of gay men in Australia, researchers discovered that the coronavirus pandemic had decreased the frequency of their hookups. That’s right; gay men getting a lot less action. The results indicate that gay men are having 12 times less intimacy than before the pandemic.

Medical journal JAIDS shared the conclusions on July 31. The study analyzed the practices of 940 queer men in Australia and discovered that 95 percent acknowledged COVID-19 as a severe danger during intimacy. These individuals reported an 84% decrease in the number of hookups.

s”The results from our study show that an overwhelming majority of gay and bisexual men have adapted their behavior and are adhering to physical distancing guidelines,” head researcher Dr. Mohamed Hammoud told QNews.

Related | More Straight Men Contracted HIV Than Gay Men

“Gay and bisexual men have adjusted their prevention strategies throughout the HIV epidemic to protect themselves and each other. Our community has a long history of creating innovative strategies to reduce risk. [We’re] seeing this continue with this new health challenge.”

There is a silver lining, in any case. Researchers hypothesize that the reduction in intimate encounters will result in a sharp drop in new STI diagnosis.

“Trends in these diagnoses are likely to fluctuate significantly in response to changes in physical distancing restrictions,” said Garrett Prestage, one of the reports’ co-authors. He remarked that he anticipated “a reduction in new HIV and STI diagnoses in the short term.”

Has the coronavirus pandemic affected your sex life?

— Gayety (@gayety) August 3, 2020