Gay cruising public bathroom
Illegal Sex: Photos exploring Berlin’s Underground Cruising Scene
photo: Marc Martin
With his photo series “Cruising” French photographer Marc Martin reimagines a hour before dating apps, a time when public toilets, were the only place to find sexual encounters for many gay men. Behind closed doors, in front of shiny tiles and messy graffiti, these places were a conference spot for those who could not use their own homes, who could not be open about their sexuality and desires. His work is on display at Schwules Museum Berlin in the exhibition “Fenster zum Klo – Public Toilets & Secret Affairs”.
photo: “Cruising”/Marc Martin
The photos, set in a vintage Berlin toilet, featuring Berlin models such as Pierre Emö, do not bashful away from explicit content. Men out of distinct social classes, pencil pusher or handyman, share a brief moment of affection, crammed in a little public bathroom. The scenario might be staged, yet its setting is authentic and the actions shown far from the lived reality of many homosexual men up to the 1990’s. Underground Public Toilets at Hermannplatz, Kaiser-, or Mehringdamm were well-known locations for gay men, little or old, that were for
Let’s Examine the Phenomenon of Cruising Bathrooms Through 4 Famous Queer Men
Throughout history and for a variety of reasons, gay men have looked to public bathrooms as places to get laid. Some men enjoy cruising public restrooms because they’re turned on by the exhibitionism and the possibility of getting caught, while others notice it as a place to anonymously and discretely possess a same-sex meeting in times when being outed as queer carries serious social, political and legal consequences.
Cruising universal restrooms has grow an ingrained part of queer history, with mixed feelings surrounding it. On one hand, it’s considered so seedy, sexy and transgressive that “toilet tramp” hookup scenes hold become a usual scenario in queer porn (and even inspired drawings of gay erotic illustrator Tom of Finland).
On the other hand, it’s also considered by some to be a black side of gender non-conforming sexuality and history that has been used to shame queer men for their otherwise innocuous sexual proclivities (often in the label of protecting children or public decency).
Noting both sides, lgbtq+ video game artist Robert Yang made a bathroom cruising video game in 2017 entitled The Aug. 28, 2007 — -- While many Americans may only be vaguely familiar with the idea of "cruising," there is a secret world of sex between men that exists in public places across the country. The police officer who arrested Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis airport for allegedly looking to engage in gay sex wrote in his June report that he "recognized a signal used by persons wishing to occupy in lewd conduct." Craig tapped his foot up and down and swiped his hand underneath the bathroom stall in which the undercover cop was sitting, according to the police report. Those efforts led to Craig's arrest by Detective Dave Karsnia and the senator's responsible plea to a disorderly conduct bill. Craig told reporters today that he did nothing inappropriate and said his guilty plea was a mistake. Public places like men's restrooms, in airports and train stations, truck stops, university libraries and parks, contain long been places where gay and bisexual men, particularly those in the closet, congregate in order to see for anonymous sex. Over time, people familia
How did toilet cruising work?
February 17, 2015 3:19 PM Subscribe
Any info or stories about etiquette and peril mitigation would be of interest.
Bonus points if you can explain how toilet cruising worked in an international context. After a strong warning about how dangerous cruising is in the Middle East, for example, the guide lists toilets in Syria and Kuwait. There are similar listings throughout the planet. While cruising in the U.S. sounds risky, it seems prefer only those with a death wish would cruise toilets as a tou
Secret Signals: How Some Men Cruise for Sex