Thanks, Buddy: The Personal Aspects of Public Sex Sites

Traditional models of public sex among men continue to construct public sex sites as anonymous and impersonal. Humphreys's (1970) work established public sex sites as settings for quick, emotionally detached sex among men. According to his findings, most of the men do not identify as gay or bisexual. Recently, social historians argue that these sites provided for gay and bisexual men settings that promoted the recognition of their emerging sexual identities and communities prior to the Stonewall Riots. In this dissertation, I problematize the anonymous and impersonal assumptions of the earlier models and argue that public sex sites continue to serve gay and bisexual men by allowing these men a place to congregate with others like themselves. In face-to-face interviews with 30 gay, queer, and bisexually identified men, I ask questions that explore the interpersonal relationships that originated in public sex sites. I explore the ways that men who use public sex sites establish an ethic of caring and create a sense of community among one another. In my methods chapter, I continue the discussion addressing the role that sexual identity and “erotic subjectivity” of the researcher functions in research. Also, I address how relying on institutional review board's approval affects sexually charged research and maintains the silence surrounding sexuality.