Glossary
Top
Top is a term for the person who takes the active or penetrating role during sex, most often used in gay male communities.
Top describes the partner who takes the active or penetrating role during sex, a term most associated with gay and queer male communities but used across many contexts. It can function as an identity for someone who consistently prefers that role, or simply describe a role in a given encounter. Top is one half of the top and bottom pairing that shapes much of the vocabulary around gay sex, alongside "versatile" for people comfortable in either role. The words are about preference and role rather than a person's gender identity or masculinity, and many people move between them.