Vers Top
Vers Top usually refers to someone who prefers topping but is open to bottoming sometimes too. Many people who use the term choose it because they strongly prefer topping, but are open to being a bottom with the right partner, or under specific circumstances.
Vers Top makes more sense when you understand the three key roles it stems from:
- Top: Usually refers to someone who prefers to take the action (or be the penetrating partner) in a scene.
- Bottom: Usually refers to someone who prefers to receive the action (or receive penetrative sex) in a scene.
- Versatile or "Vers": Usually refers to someone who is open to both roles.
The term Vers Top is used in online communities and online dating and hookup sites to help people connect with compatible sexual partners. It is most commonly used among gay and bisexual men, but may also be seen in trans and queer communities.
Other, more specific, versions of the term also exist, such as "vers oral top," which refers to someone who prefers to give oral sex, but is also open to receiving it.
Origins of the Term
Vers Top likely emerged in the 2020s, when it started to appear in Reddit threads, community forums, and on FetLife. The term reflects a broader shift away from more rigid roles and an attempt to create language to better communicate identity and preferences.
The term versatile is believed to have emerged in gay communities as early as the late 1960s. It may have been shaped by the artist Tom of Finland, who portrayed many of his characters as versatile, and showed them actively engaging in both Top and bottom roles.
However, we can assume that the term "versatile" did not come into more common usage until at least the 1980s and '90s. This is when the terms Top and bottom became more entrenched, possibly as result of the AIDS crisis, and the fear that bottoming was higher risk. These terms commonly appeared in gay personal ads, community publications, and social spaces, where they served as shorthand for insertive and receptive sexual preferences.
Vers Top Statistics
- A 2016 review of studies on sexual positioning among men who have sex with men found that 37.3% of respondents identified as versatile. (33.2% were Tops and 25.4% were bottom.)
- A 2015 survey of college men whose last long-term relationship was with another man, 30% maintained a single role, while 70% reported topping and bottoming at some point in the relationship.
Related Terms
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