Using a self-selected online sample of 448 Norwegian men who have sex with men(MSM) and a cross-sectional design, the present study investigated first-person effectsof sexually explicit media (SEM) consumption on sexual knowledge, enjoyment of andinterest in sex, attitudes towards sex and understanding of one’s sexual orientation.First-person effects refer to self-perceived and self-reported effects of SEM consumptionas experienced by the consumer. In addition, the study examined and provided athorough validation of the psychometric properties of the seven-item PornographyConsumption Effect Scale (PCES). The study found that 93% of MSM reported smallto-largepositive effects from their SEM consumption on their sexual knowledge,enjoyment of and interest in sex, attitudes towards sex and understanding of theirsexual orientation. Only 7% reported any negative effects from their SEM consumptionon these outcomes. Furthermore, the psychometric properties of the revisedversion of the PCES were found to be very satisfactory. The results of the studyindicate that SEM consumption among MSM may play a positive role in MSM’ssexuality by enhancing their sex life, being a major source of sexual information,providing a recreational sexual outlet and offering confirmation of one’s sexualorientation.