Table 2.

Concurrency as Normative theme and related text

THEMES	QUOTES
Concurrency as normative	African Men - According to everything else that I see, the books that I read, like the Bible, that’s what happened before me, I was here, they had 48 wives…
	African Men - Well, amongst the Zimbabwean community that I have experience with, the women are vey monogamous, and the men are very much, not. I mean across the board, that’s pretty much-I mean, of course with the younger crowd as well, they’re all concurrent. So yeah.
	African Men - You know, every time you ask who does concurrency, I giggle because I think it’s easier to answer, if we asked, who doesn’t. Work with me on this
	African Men - I think not only from sitcoms, we see it around us. People do actually engage in that behavior who are not necessarily from our culture, or heritage, and no one frowns upon it as we walk around life. So your psyche just, yeah, accepts it.
	Mixed Adult Women - Something happens to one of your parents and at the funeral, and somebody your age shows up and says that’s my dad too or that’s my mom too. My mom mostly no, it’s mostly that’s my dad too. They show up and want to inherit. It’s kind of an extension of those hardships and lifestyle. Culturally, my grandpa had five wives and it was not a secret because that’s a traditional thing. I think the new generation was taught to be monogamous Christians. Otherwise, they’re still trying to be like grandpa. They’re just hiding it.
	Mixed Adult Women - It’s the norm I guess for them now.
	Mixed Adult Women - I think that the average person my age, if you don’t clearly state that, they are probably going to continue having sex as long as possible. They’re going to try to keep the relationship in the friends-with-benefits zone. Even once you get together, there is no certainty. There isn’t. I’m just saying if you’re not clear with that person, there’s a great chance.
	Mixed Adult Women - I’m not from here, but since I’ve been here, I’ve kind of seen what she says. It is kinda everywhere too, but it’s definitely going on. It’s not just the men. I know some women who are just as promiscuous as men.
	Mixed Adult Women - It seems to be normal to be that way these days. It’s like everybody’s doing it. No commitment
	Mixed Adult Women - I’m 26. I’m saying between the ages of 18 and 30. I think it’s very popular. I think it’s so common among black men in my age group that I would be shocked when I find that it’s not taking place. I think it’s sad, but when you meet, like I know when I date, it’s something I have to tell the guy. I have to explicitly state, “Just me and you are having sex. You’re not to be having sex with somebody else.” It’s sad that you have to state that. It’s sad that you have to say that to someone
	Mixed Youth - I think they are being treated like everyone else. My friends, I know a lot of people, everybody, I don’t wanna give their names out, but they-no one really pays attention. If my friend tells me he’s doing this and that, I’m not really gonna be like, hey dude, come on man, don’t do that. I’m just being honest with you, I’d probably say stuff like, I see you man, something like that. I’m not gonna be like stop. That’s not the way that we’re taught to do things. People think it’s cool kind of, from a guy’s perspective.
	Mixed Youth - It’s both men and women.
	Mixed Youth - It’s socially acceptable nowadays.
	Mixed Youth - I’m gonna say it depends on where you are because in different areas and different places - like he said - it’s socially acceptable.
	Mixed Youth - Mostly in the suburbs of Seattle they’re gonna defend it and not let it be seen - but in the very poor neighborhood, I think there’s pretty much a lot of people who do it and you can see it. I work at the airport and sometimes I work late nights and I ride the bus and I’ve seen and experienced on the bus rides very late at night - I’m talking about prostitutes and things like that
	Mixed Youth - Girls are treated one way and guys are treated another way, but no matter where you’re from sex is sex is sex. There’s only one way to get down that way. It’s so socially acceptable. I’ve got a couple experiences on my own - I’m not gonna go into it - but I think it’s just become too socially acceptable and it’s not that big of a deal to a lot of people anymore.
	Mixed Youth - I think it’s everybody - educated people, uneducated, poor people, rich people, you know? In this city I mean it’s everybody. I can’t really say it’s a particular group - maybe in the inner city in the hood, you have people who are doing it more - I mean you see people who are having babies and everything so maybe them. But you can’t really stereotype it.
	Mixed Youth - I’ve been everywhere so pretty much everybody does it that is what I would say about it. I’ve been in a white neighborhood, I’ve been in Puerto Rican neighborhoods, I’ve been everywhere and they all do it. It just depends pretty much on how you were raised. That’s all it is really.
	Mixed Youth - The majority of society - yes, it is kind of that way. But if it was that way as a society they wouldn’t make movies about it. That’s how acceptable it is with everybody - with a lot of people - not with everybody - but with a lot of people, it is still kinda like, “Damn dude! Homey at least take a shower between them!”
	Mixed Youth - My friends always tell me that you need to date more than one guy and stay with one guy. You have to get to know more people. So that’s it I guess.
	MSM - I think it’s an expectation that people do it - that people are doing it. Not that it’s a favorable thing, but that people are doing it. It’s how it is - it’s kind of an excepted norm.
	MSM - A lot of people in my community are practicing concurrency. My community would be the black community and the gay community - the black gay community. And I think a lot of people are practicing concurrency. I don’t necessarily think it’s something that people are necessarily trying to do. I think concurrency can happen if your single, and you’re just doing what you do. I think concurrency - if it’s happening in a relationship and it’s not talked about that maybe could be a negative thing, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a thing of people being a slut or loose. But I think it happens more often than people wanna talk about.
	MSM - It’s pretty much a thing of the 2000’s - this is the day and age - this day and age is what they show you on TV. You can have as much sex as you want as much as you want. They don’t care if it’s safe or not - just have it, and buy my album. That’s pretty much what it portrays on TV.
	MSM - Openly. I don’t know if this is so much because of Seattle’s culture, people are a little more liberal, a little more experienced. Maybe because of the people I’m socializing with, they’re more open-minded about certain things. So the fact that they are having multiple partners is almost so normalized, that it’s not like, taboo. And in some cases it’s almost like, if you’re not having multiple partners, then you’re the one missing out.