sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (12/20/83)
"Channel of communication", is that what you call it? A small minority participates in this kind of activity (anonymous sex and/or creative graffiti composition in public washrooms) and it's unfortunate that some people have to generalize about entire groups based on what they see or hear behind a men's room stall. But, we're not talking about dispassionate observations here, we're talking strong, primitive emotions, be they fascination, bewilderment, revulsion, or any combination--take your pick. Not to mention the hassle and inconvenience of finding your local college washroom SRO at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. So, it's no wonder that this behavior contributes towards homophobia in some susceptible individuals. I have a couple of amateur theories. First, there's still an issue of accessible sexual behavior for some who haven't come out of the closet: anonymous sex may be about as much as they can deal with. Another factor arises from the whole societal view of gay sex as "outlaw" sex, and the comcomitant loosening of traditional concepts of unacceptable behavior for some people (i.e., the gay person is already a pariah, so what the hell, who's being proper anymore?) There's also the meta-thrill of sex in a public place, and this can turn out to be a significant aspect of its attraction. I like to view these as manifestations of the steadily weakening, but still quite prevalent, proscription against homosexual behavior in Western society. That is, once being gay is no longer an issue, anonymous public sex will cease to be a significant sexual outlet. On the other hand, I could be all wet with this last conclusion. I have nothing in particular against anonymous sex, I just don't like having to confront it in inappropriate settings, like busy public washrooms. -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca