History Lson: Why snas rema important to gay culture | SBS Voic

Contents:

• UNCLOAKG DIRE: EXPERIENCG THE GAY SNA
• INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA
• THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG
• WHEN I WAS HOMELS, I SOLD MY BODY GAY SNAS TO SURVIVE
• GAY BATHHOE
• THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS
• GAY SNA EXPERIENC
• LONDON GAY SNAS
• GAY SNAS AND THE RISKS OF HIV AND SYPHILIS TRANSMISSNS CHA--RULTS OF A META-ANALYSIS
• GAY SNA & CISE CLUB GUI
• HISTORY LSON: WHY SNAS REMA IMPORTANT TO GAY CULTURE
• MONTREAL GAY SNAS

UNCLOAKG DIRE: EXPERIENCG THE GAY SNA

The other day, I performed one of the self-experiments while aimlsly roamg the streets of London: searchg for a new experiential plate to tt the lims of my ‘self, ’ I impulsively walked to a gay sna. For those not the know, a gay sna is as an unrground plex of showers, snas, steam rooms and sex booths where gay men go to relax and have totally anonymo sex of all sorts. All sts is 10 quid (only 5 if you’re a stunt—lerally: stunt disunts at a gay sex stutn.

Wh every new generatn of gay and bisexual men a new generatn of cisers. (This is large part why gay bathho are shuttg down across the U.

INSI CHARTS, LONDON'S BIGGT GAY SNA

) But if you are one of the gay/bi men out there, like many of , who don't get that same sh om Grdr that you do om furtive eye glanc the sna -- which turn to so much more -- then this article is for you: the 5 do's and 5 don'ts of gay cisg. Don't take your Rolex or that rg your grandma gave you when she passed away to the gay sna. Charts is a gay sna that’s somehow stood firm and risted the velopers for nearly 20 years.

Amidst a vastatg year for gay venu London, alarm bells were set off June when was reported that the se might make way for a luxury hotel, but thankfully for s patrons, there’s been very ltle follow-up. ‘It was found 1997, ’ says staff member Lewis, ‘when fdg a fy, welg place to be openly gay or explore your sexualy was perhaps tougher than is now. For the uniated, a gay sna is, as our listg onle stat: ‘like a leisure centre, but wh sex’ – a place where men cise and hook up.

THE DOS & DON'TS OF GAY CLUBBG

‘That always ma me giggle – the last thg a gay du to a sna for is a mouthful of fish. ‘Some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia’. Speakg of hair, you might image that wh that zty, naturel activy gog on, a gay sna would be ked lube and all manner of curly follicl.

There are still a lot of gay or bisexual guys who aren’t out. Sadly, I fear some misnceptns are fuelled by homophobia. If was a straight swgers’ club, might be seen as cheeky, racy, darg, but bee ’s a gay spot, ’s more likely to be nsired sleazy and gross.

WHEN I WAS HOMELS, I SOLD MY BODY GAY SNAS TO SURVIVE

There are gay venu most ci and towns. ’s most remote gay bar) you uld probably fd one place to wet your whistle. Chanc are, your first tentative steps out onto the London queer scene were ma or around Old Compton Street, the shg of London’s mastream gay culture.

The inic Royal Vxhall Tavern is one of the olst gay venu the cy and ss, as you may have gused, Vxhall. Chanc are you probably won’t be starg down that barrel of that gun a gay club eher then pal.

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.

GAY BATHHOE

Gay men do not have any more right to touch a woman’s breasts than a straight man whout nsent. It’s been 50 years sce homosexualy was crimalised this untry. A mere 30 years later, sectn 28 was passed - makg an offence to promote (talk about) homosexualy schools and only 5 years ago same sex marriag were not legal.

Hi, odd kda qutn maybe, but has anyone here been to a gay sna before?

THE FUTURE OF BRA’S GAY SNAS

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. Before ronavis h, Charts Vxhall claimed to be ​“Europe’s largt gay sna” for men wantg steam, queer mararie and a potential subterranean hook-up.

Charts Vxhall was the last survivg outpost of a gay sna cha which at s 2005 peak had six branch dotted across London. Losg Charts is a major blow for London’s queer male muny, but gay snas across the UK have weathered an credibly ttg 12 months.

GAY SNA EXPERIENC

“Gay snas n of the possibily of sex, but whether people actually have sex when they get here is a pletely different thg, ” says Stephen Gunn of Mantire Spa Plymouth. In 2021, gay snas are faced wh the same toxic cktail of threats as any other LGBTQ venue. But when we talk about savg our val queer spac, gay snas tend to be exclud om the nversatn.

LONDON GAY SNAS

Nick Batt, owner of Pk Broadway Southampton, says a lol rad statn was terted hearg about his stggle to survive the panmic as a small bs owner until he said he ran a gay sna.

Even wh the LGBTQ muny, gay snas have a lgerg image problem. In 2016, gay magaze Attu published an op-ed tled: ​“Perhaps the time has e for gay snas to close – and that’s fe.

Pl Town, manager of The Locker Room South London, says is rctive to pigeonhole all gay snas as ​“expensive knockg shops”.

GAY SNAS AND THE RISKS OF HIV AND SYPHILIS TRANSMISSNS CHA--RULTS OF A META-ANALYSIS

Clearly, gay snas exist so that men have n sex wh men a space that isn’t their home, a hotel or a cisg spot.

GAY SNA & CISE CLUB GUI

Sce I started visg gay snas a ago, I’ve seen steam room i, group jack-off ssns the showers and men wag expectantly large leather slgs. In my experience, gay snas are sexy, sex-posive spac where not everyone ends up havg sex. “Nobody ever talks about the lonely olr gay man, ” says Pk Broadway’s Nick Batt.

HISTORY LSON: WHY SNAS REMA IMPORTANT TO GAY CULTURE

​“Maybe their partner’s passed away and they want some pany, but they don’t feel like they belong the [gay] bars bee you’re visible those plac if you’re over 40. ” Batt also says his sna provis a safe space for gay and bi men who aren’t out. ​“I’d say up to 70 per cent of our ctomers don’t live what you’d ll a ​‘gay liftyle’, ” he says.

​“I’ve had ctomers e up to me and say: ​‘My mum died yterday and she never knew I was gay. Gay snas like London’s Pleasuredrome, which pre-Covid opened 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, n also bee a refuge for vulnerable and homels young men. Dean, a 25-year-old queer man om London, says he ma his first viss to gay snas around seven years ago ​“out of sheer necsy”.

MONTREAL GAY SNAS

Dean adms that gay snas were ​“ no way an idyllic sanctuary” and says he sometim felt sred sleepg such a sexualised environment. Other young gay and bi men vis snas bee they offer relatively hassle-ee hook-ups. Tom, a 23-year-old gay man om Edburgh, says that pre-Covid he popped to gay snas once every uple of months bee felt ​“slightly kky and different and excg”.

Whereas the mastream LGBTQ scene ​“favours cis, whe, affluent gay guys, you see a different si to the muny at snas – people you wouldn’t see bars”. Jack, a 25-year-old gay man om Plymouth, says he would normally vis his lol sna once a week simply to ​“chill out and have fun” while ​“meetg new and different people”.

Gay Sna Experienc | Hip Foms.