A Peek Unr the Towel: Insi the 500-Year History of Gay Bathho | Hor, the Queer Social Network

Contents:

• GAY BATHHOE
• GAY SNA EXPERIENC
• THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG
• SECRETS OF THE SNA: CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY TAK VIEWERS SI A GAY SNA TO REVEAL WHAT REALLY GO ON
• WHAT I LEARNED OM TTG MEN FOR HIV AT GAY BATHHO
• A PEEK UNR THE TOWEL: INSI THE 500-YEAR HISTORY OF GAY BATHHO
• INTY, CONNECTEDNS, AND SEXUAL HEALTH THE GAY SNA
• AMSTERDAM GAY SNAS
• GAY SNA & CISE CLUB GUI
• LONDON GAY SNAS
• GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET
• THE BT GAY SNAS EUROPE

GAY BATHHOE

Every once a while, as though strand si a gay Advent lendar, I e upon a room wh the door popped open and a guy si eher lyg nu on his tummy or jackg off while his ey stare out to the hallway. Walkg back to my room, I nsir how eply reassurg mt be for gay men to know that, at any time of day or night, and wh very ltle effort and expense, they n get head on the fly, no strgs attached.

GAY SNA EXPERIENC

Csg a venue to ll out an expensive plummer bee you and your pals thought ’d be a great plan to smash up the toilet after your first h of gay gra gak isn’t exactly the pnacle of allyship. Many health re and mental health anizatns foced on the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr muny also offer substance e treatment or may be able to provi rmatn about lol rourc. Dpe survivg 100 years of police harassment, though, the gay bathho of New York Cy uldn’t survive the homophobia of Mayor Ed Koch, who shut most of them down durg the HIV epimic.

In his closed-door posn last month, Ziegler told lawmakers that he is gay, and phed back agast the notn om some right-wg figur that his sexual orientatn fluenc his polics or his job. IntroductnGay snas (also referred to as gay bathho and steamho) are a mercial space which gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex wh men (MSM)Footnote 1 n meet for sexual enunters. There are rerds of gay men g snas for sex the fifteenth century but was the send half of the twentieth century that gay snas beme more wispread London, New York, and other major ci (Bébé, 1996) sexual health of sna ers has been a signifint foc of both rearchers and mentators (e.

Yet, gay snas have now bee an important ntext for raisg awarens of safer sex and of enhancg HIV preventn has been limed rearch to the inti, experienc, and perceptns of gay sna ers (e. Moreover, there has been no rearch to gay snas specifilly small- and medium-sized ci the UK, which oms signifint populatns of gay men at risk of HIV and other STIs. In orr to addrs this lacuna rearch, this article foc on the meangs and experienc that gay men livg the English cy of Leicter attribute to the gay sna, the role of the sna their sense of inty, and how they nste their sexual behavr this Health Among Gay MenOf the 89, 400 people livg wh HIV the England 2016, 51% were gay men (PHE, 2018a), and, of the 4370 new HIV diagnos 2017, 53% (n = 2330) were among gay men (Nash et al., 2018).

THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG

This epimlogil profile among gay men n be attributed to the high equency of sex, multiple sexual partners, and high prevalence of ndomls sex this populatn (Jaspal, 2019) Risk and Preventn the Gay SnaIn their survey study of 134 gay sna ers South Wt England, Horwood et al.

(2016) found high rat of HIV risk behavr – participants reported higher numbers of sual sexual partners and higher equency of unprotected anal sex than muny sampl of gay men reced non-sna settgs. (2005) noted that gay sna attendance was a signifint risk factor for hepatis A fectn, and that the vast majory of those fected had had sex a gay of the sexual health iativ gay snas clu the dissematn of sexual health knowledge, the provisn of STI screeng and HIV ttg, and awarens-raisg regardg PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). In several studi, rearchers have found high acceptabily and effectivens of HIV self-ttg gay snas although they do acknowledge the need to ascerta the bt way of implementg this service wh the sna (Huebner, Bson, Pollack, & Woods, 2012; Woods, Lippman, Agnew, Carroll, & Bson, 2016).

SECRETS OF THE SNA: CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY TAK VIEWERS SI A GAY SNA TO REVEAL WHAT REALLY GO ON

Ccially, HIV preventn gay snas n target subgroups of gay men who might not ordarily engage wh sexual health servic and who might therefore be missed through nventnal HIV preventn rout (Debattista, 2015), effective terventns should be rmed by social psychologil rearch that ptur the views, perceptns, and behavrs of the target populatn the target ntext, that is, the diverse inti of the people whom we wish to target (Fish, Papaloas, Jaspal, & Williamson, 2016). When the prcipl are challenged, the dividual experienc threats to inty, which is aversive for psychologil has been some rearch that sheds light on the impact of the gay sna on the inti of ers. Drawg on semi-stctured terviews and archival data, Prr (2009) has argued that the gay sna played an important role the nstctn of a gay culture and inty Sydney, Atralia, partly bee enabled gay men to explore, velop, and exprs their sexual inti the face of the homophobic stigma they faced.

The gay sna uld promote ntuy and self-teem on the basis of one’s sexual inty the face of external threats to this inty the form of social their terview study of gay sna ers Sydney, Atralia, Prr and Cack (2010, p.

93–94) found that the gay sna functned as a “relig-spirual space removed om the fluence of a domant relig stutn, ” which enabled s ers to engage pleasurable, self-thentitg acts away om the stigma of heteronormative Atralian society.

WHAT I LEARNED OM TTG MEN FOR HIV AT GAY BATHHO

This hts at the notn that the gay sna may promote feelgs of thenticy inty, that is, “the sense that one’s life, both public and private, reflects one’s real self” (Gee, 1998, p.

134) their study of 23 ers of a gay sna Toronto, Hbrich, Myers, Calzavara, Ryr, and Medved (2004) found that ers emphasized the ease of accs to sex the sna ( ntrast to gay bars, for stance), that they valued the anonymy of sexual enunters and, importantly, that they felt safe there.

Acrdgly, the prent study draws on tes of inty procs theory to explore the meangs and experienc that gay men livg Leicter attribute to the gay sna, the role of the sna their sense of inty, and how they nste their sexual behavr this ntext. They all believed themselv to be HIV-negative at the time of the terviews were guid by a semi-stctured terview schle that foced on the followg areas: self-scriptn, self-tegorizatn, motivatns for g the gay sna, sexual behavrs and experienc the gay sna, sexual inty, and sexual health perceptns. Thematic analysis facilat -pth exploratn of how each dividual experienc the gay sna, the meangs they attribute to , and how they nste their sexual behavr that ntext.

A PEEK UNR THE TOWEL: INSI THE 500-YEAR HISTORY OF GAY BATHHO

The clu (1) inty thenticy the gay sna; (2) social nnectedns among sna ers; (3) sexual risk and sexual health the sna; and (4) protectg the inty functns of the gay Soc-Spatial Characteristics of the SnasEach gay sna has s own soc-spatial stcture, characteristics, and cultural “norms” which turn fluence and gui the behavr of s ers, staff members, and sexual health service provirs, such as Natnal Health Service (NHS) nurs, muny workers, wh the premis. For stance, a sna may be known among s clients for attractg a particular subgroup of gay men, such as younger gay men or those wh particular sexual terts, and there may be different norms relatn to ndom e among A is the largt and newt of the three snas and has a social space on the ground floor and a space for sexual activy on the first floor. Sexual health outreach is offered by a lol sexual health B is the smallt of the three snas and is also known for beg equented by non-gay intified MSM, trans women, and cross-drsers.

Inty Authenticy the Gay SnaSeveral participants discsed the need to nceal aspects of their sexual inty, such as their sexual orientatn or sexual preferenc, social settgs outsi of the sna environment. (Olly, gay)Like Olly, participants scribed their experience the sna metaphorilly terms of the abily to “let yourself go” and to bee “a different person, ” potentially enhancg their sense of distctivens.

This suggted a posive transn om the need for inty ncealment public settgs, often characterized by heteronormativy, to the abily to explore and manift inty thentilly the gay sna.

INTY, CONNECTEDNS, AND SEXUAL HEALTH THE GAY SNA

Moreover, there was a sense of shared, superordate social inty the gay sna built around a mon goal: “you’re here for the same thg, ” that is, pursu of a sexual enunter wh another man. This uld facilate feelgs of ers ntrasted their experience the gay sna wh the “outer world” that was perceived as heteronormative and judgmental toward norms and practic associated wh homosexualy:Then you go here, and everyone is really iendly, which mak even easier.

(Karim, straight-cur)Karim, who intified as “straight-cur, ” reported a sense of rejectn and excln om some social spac outsi of the sna settg due to his sexual inty – not least the gay scene where he rived no sense of belonggns. ” Karim’s acunt reerat the wispread perceptn among terviewe that the mastream gay scene was not nducive to a sense of inty thenticy, but that the gay sna perceptn of the gay sna as a sexual space was elaborated to pture s clivy and open-mdns. ” His acunt reerated the wispread nstal of the gay sna as an clive sexual space which inty thenticy was renred possible, but also which his ntuy (between private and public inti) and belonggns uld be Connectedns Among Sna UsersAs Olly dited his acunt, thenticy was also related to the sense of nnectn and monaly among sna ers.

The data show that social nnectedns was a key goal for most, view of the psychosocial strsors faced by some gay men, such as sexual inty issu and low levels of sexual inty disclosure, other social environments, such as bars and nightclubs, may be perceived as ls nducive to social nnectedns and to the formatn of iendships. For stance, some were unfortable wh the fact that alhol was served gay bars and nightclubs due to their relig fah, while others simply believed that the gay sna was more nducive to nversatn and terpersonal munitn than gay bars. (Stt, gay)In short, the gay sna nstuted a space which ers were able to velop a sense of thenticy and to tablish effective and satisfyg social nnectns wh other men, which provid rpe om the feelgs of lonels and prsn that some reportedly experienced.

AMSTERDAM GAY SNAS

The gay sna was generally nsted as a relaxg, clive and acceptg environment, which the “social pretense” of other gay ntexts, such as gay bars and clubs, was not necsary (Hbrich et al., 2004). Perhaps, as a rult of this posive nstal of the gay scene, all of the terviewe reported beg receptive to sexual health rmatn the snas that they Risk and Sexual Health the SnaInterviewe perceived the gay sna as a risky environment due to the availabily of multiple sexual partners and the high prevalence of ndomls sex.

GAY SNA & CISE CLUB GUI

Siarly, John referred to ndomls sex the gay sna as “dicg wh ath, ” highlightg his perceptn of HIV as a adly vis:Snas, particularly the London area or abroad, do not e many ndoms to tell you the tth. Like several other participants, Karim rived a feelg of ease om the visible culture of safer sex the gay terviewe acknowledged that there was sexual risk-takg the ntext and they too had had “slip ups” relatn to ndom e.

”Protectg the Inty Functns of the Gay SnaDpe nstg the gay sna as a “high-risk” environment, participants were keen to mata the inty functns of the gay sna, that is, to ensure that s stat as a space for inty thenticy and belonggns be mataed. (John, gay)Although rponnts acknowledged the importance of sexual health, there was a sire for the sna to rema a space wh which sexual and social teractns should have primacy.

Ccially, participants like Jack and Dave noted that the service offered the gay sna was non-judgmental and void of social stigma, which they ntrasted wh sexual health servic other ntexts. Dave perceived sexual health servic the gay sna to be more discreet than healthre settgs – he specifilly did not want his GP to know about his sexual inty or liftyle.

LONDON GAY SNAS

DiscsnIn this study, we set out to explore the meangs and experienc that male ers of gay snas Leicter append to the sna, the role of the gay sna their sense of inty and their nstal of their sexual behavr this ntext. The analysis yield four them, focg on how the men experienced inty thenticy the gay sna, the opportuni for formg social nnectns wh other sna ers, their perceptn of sexual risk the sna, and their sire to protect the inty functns of the gay sna.

Enhancg Inty the SnaThere was a clear distctn drawn between the psychologil “worlds” of the gay sna and external world, rpectively (Woods, Sheon, Morris, & Bson, 2013). Although homophobia appears to be wang Brish society, smaller ci like Leicter there may be ls acceptance of sexual diversy – for stance, 2014, there was 120 homophobic attacks the unty of Leictershire (pared to 63 the neighborg unty of Nottghamshire). Footnote 2 Conversely, the gay sna, terviewe reported a sense of liberatn that they felt empowered to “be themselv, ” to explore their sexuali and to experience a sense of inty thenticy.

GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET

Yet, mt be noted that the gay sna er inty may be difficult to manift outsi of the sna environment and may, th, rema separate om one’s public inty, view of “slut shamg” which stigmatiz sexual promiscuy among gay men (Spielnner, 2016).

For stance, sexual inty thenticy a ntext which homosexualy is stigmatized may not be nducive to self-teem or self-efficy due to exposure to social stigma (Crocker & Major, 1989). It is easy to see why the gay sna would be evaluated so posively by terviewe who rived feelgs of thenticy this the one hand, dividuals felt able to nstct an inty that aquately reflected their sexual orientatn and sexual preferenc, and, on the other hand, they nsted their sna attendance as a form of “pism” om heteronormative society.

This n ntribute to greater stigma surroundg sexual mory inti and an creased risk of inty ncealment and thenticy among gay men who anticipate stigma due to their sexual orientatn or behavr. Prev rearch has shown that social nnectedns (or a sense of belonggns) n be an effective way of enhancg mental health and even for alleviatg prsive symptomatology (Miller, Wakefield, & Sani, 2017), which some of the men attributed to lonels and a agmented and exclnary gay scene. In addn, terviewe also feared general stigma toward more “mastream” gay inti bee of pervasive heteronormativy society (Herz & Johansson, 2015), equentg the sna orr to rive a sense of belonggns uld be regard as a pg strategy and as a means of rcg the negative psychologil effects of lonels and isolatn.

THE BT GAY SNAS EUROPE

Although there was wispread acceptabily of sexual health servic gay snas, terviewe did not wish for sexual health servic to encroach on the social and sexual functns of the sna. This reflected participants’ sire to protect the inty functns of the gay sna, that is, s abily to provi thenticy and partly to the stigma that surrounds ndomls sex, participants generally prented themselv as sexually “rponsible” and “reful” and other sna ers as sexually “irrponsible” and “rels” (see also Jaspal & Daraas, 2016; Williamson, Papaloas, Jaspal, & Lund, 2019). ImplitnsThis study monstrat that gay men append var meangs to the gay sna – some view as a space for sexual activy, while others nste as a ntext for socializg wh other gay men.

The role of thenticy and belonggns termg risk behavr will require further empiril any se, the meangs append to the gay sna turn provi distct opportuni for sexual health engagement and promotn this ntext. Practners mt ensure that their terventns do not curtail the feelgs of belonggns and thenticy that are pursued by gay sna has been noted prev rearch that gay men are at risk of poor mental health and isolatn, which turn n lead to engagement sexual-risk takg behavr – possibly as a maladaptive pg strategy (Jaspal, 2018a). For some gay men who experience lonels and isolatn, the gay sna may nstute a space which they are able to form nnectns, rive feelgs of timacy, and experience better psychologil wellbeg.