Know Your Butt Hole Better

A scroll down Instagram lane can lead to a variety of food recipes, travel pics, thirst traps and hilarious memes, and TikTok invariably keeps us up with all kinds of silliness through the late hours before bed. But with all the multitude and variety of addictive content on each platform, Carlton Thomas—best known as Doctor Carlton—didn't expect his gastroenterology knowledge would become a viral sensation.

An audience of everyone

As a queer physician, Doctor Carlton is mostly providing information for gay men, but in his social media journey, he's found audiences across the board.

"I thought my audience would all be gay men, but lo and behold, I've learned there is a huge audience of women, too," he told me on the phone from his home base of San Diego. "But I also learned there were straight men or curious men in that mix as well."

The reasoning for his vast and loyal audience is perhaps that he talks about butt stuff no one else was talking about on IG or TikTok. Plus, well, everybody's got one.

"I thought, 'What do I know about?' I'm gay, I'm a gastroenterologist, I know my way around a GI tract, and nobody's really talking about anal sex," he said. "When I did my first post about it, I was kind of nervous. There's a fine line on TikTok, and I wasn't sure if I'd get banned or taken down."

Now, with almost 19,000 followers on IG and more than 217,000 followers on TikTok and counting, he's clearly onto something good.

Out of the blue

Without resorting to overstylized videos, clever editing or face-altering filters, Carlton approaches his posts with easy-to-understand talk, an affable delivery and a sense of humor.

Most importantly, he covers the gamut of sphincter care and safety.

"Sometimes things just come to me out of the blue, like urinating right after topping because there's a risk for STIs," he said. "Or someone will ask about their partner hitting their G-spot, but they aren't feeling anything. I try to bring up things that are relevant and no one talks about. And I answer all my direct messages from people who have questions."

Though Carlton delivers an array of information throughout his posts, some topics recur often. There are questions he gets repeatedly, or there are points he really wants to stress to his followers.

"I talk about harm reduction a lot. I also talk about HIV status. I want people to understand that those who are undetectable cannot transmit the virus, but the stigma from within our own community is terrible," he said. "I always tell folks to get checked where you play, whether it's in your butt or your mouth. I talk about getting your vaccines to prevent HPV, hepatitis, anal warts and cancer."

All around the world

He'll often discuss bottoming safely, checking the merchandise before it goes inside and the critical fact that anal isn't supposed to hurt.

While he talks up his Tips From a Gay GI Doctor, he also provides a service gay men may not find at their own doctor. The gaps in LGBTQIA+ healthcare and patients are not just here in the United States, but around the world.

"Doctors don't always know how to ask the right questions and LGBTQIA+ people don't always know how to ask for what they need," Carlton said. "These are things medical providers need to know so they can take better care of gay men."

He's received requests for help from men in countries where being gay is still a crime, or if not illegal at least a lifestyle that can get you publicly ostracized.

"I'm getting messages from places like Central Africa, Southeast Asia, India, places where people don't have access to queer-oriented information. Or if they are caught having gay sex, they could go to jail or be executed," he said. "I've had so many people thanking me. There are queer men around the world who have no access to proper sex education."

Raising awareness about care was the goal for Carlton—even if a sassy follower commented on his choice of ceiling fans in the background. Additionally, the pandemic left him with a bit more time on his hands.

It's all about making a difference

The whole shebang began in October 2020, when he posted his first video. Fast-forward to summer 2021, and he has appeared as a guest speaker on a number of podcasts and was invited out to Austin, Texas, for a live, sold-out speaking engagement. But Carlton also has his day job and a family, and his social media fame necessitates a balancing act.

"There can be a burden to it," he said. "I'm working at two hospitals, I'm married to an awesome husband who puts up with all this, [and I have] two children and three dogs. I have to limit it sometimes, but also, I do have a goal to expand this platform as maybe a gay Doctor Ruth or Doctor Oz."

Though gay's certainly in the title, Carlton's work extends to people of all sexualities and walks of life.

"Butt stuff has no gender, no sexual orientation," Carlton said. "There is a lot of sensation back there. Some women are trying techniques that gay men are doing. It does make me sad that straight guys will let labels limit them from some of that pleasure, but the straight community is getting more into anal and some men are more open about getting pegged by their female partners."

There is a big caveat to all this. While he is providing information, he reminds his followers, especially those going to him with specific issues, that he is not their personal doctor.

"I always tell people I'm not giving medical advice," he said. "From a legal standpoint, I'm giving my opinion and advising them to get the right medical attention, but I'm not providing anything medically. The biggest point I want people to realize is the majority of all this is truly out of the goodness of my heart in hopes of making a difference in the world."

Follow @doctorcarlton on direct.me for his social media accounts.