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It's difficult to pinpoint the origins of cruising. While the term was used by men seeking casual encounters with other men in the parks and streets of New York City as early as the 1920s, historical records show the practice is much older. Cruising has existed for as long as anyone outside the dominant sex and gender systems has sought sexual encounters outside of sanctioned norms. This book offers a serious exploration of queer sex and sex cultures, exploring cruising as a mode of thinking with the body and communicating through sexuality. A creative dialogue between a queer artist and a queer academic reminiscing about and thinking with their cruising experiences, Crossings takes queer sex practices and cultures seriously as ways of knowing and world-making. The result is an erotic hybrid form hovering between scholarship and avant-garde experimentation, between critical manifesto and sex memoir. Here, the voices of each author, merged together in one, invite the reader to inhabit the erotic spacetime between self and other, the familiar and the strange, desire and pleasure, climax and release. That is, the spaces and temporalities of cruising itself.

This book aims to help therapists understand the challenges gay men face in their sex lives, providing professionals and gay men with evidence-based interventions and clinical tools to help them heal and live overall healthier lives.Gay men have unique and debilitating issues that can get in the way of them having pleasurable sex. Instead of sex being a space to learn about themselves, heal, release, and receive joy, for many sex is fraught with shame, anxiety, self-hate, and feeling isolated. Written for both professionals and the clients they treat, this book aims to heal sex-related wounds through sex and, in turn, improve every aspect of gay men's mental health. The book begins by exploring what is special about gay men and sex before looking at assessing and presenting medical issues impacting sexual functioning, such as childhood trauma, attachment styles, body issues, anxiety, depression, long-term relationships and parenting, and hookup apps. It then moves onto clinical interventions to address these issues, with intake questionnaires and information on how to adapt sensate focus exercises, neuroscience, narrative, CBT, and somatic modalities to provide sex therapy interventions specific to gay men.With special focus on marginalized communities within the LGBTQIA+ community, such as trans men, BIPOC, aging, disabled, and chronically ill voices, this book is essential reading for sex therapists and mental health professionals working with gay men, as well as gay men themselves looking to live authentically and happily in their sexual lives.

Since the 1970s, effeminate gay men, and fem bottoms in particular, have increasingly become the ‘marginalised among the marginalised'in Anglo-American gay culture, which tends to place a premium on appearing, behaving, and sounding masculine. Effeminate Belonging compares how boys and men in Western and global majority contexts negotiate connections between homosexuality, effeminacy, and bottom identity and practice, and why conversations that re-connect sex role positionality and gender expression are important to gay men's sexual wellbeing and sense of belonging. Providing new readings of autobiographical narratives in film, documentary, social media, gay porn, and written erotica, Richard Vytniorgu explores how fem bottoms negotiate gender nonconforming experience and bottom identities in different places and spaces, including in the home, school, LGBTQ+ community, online, and in their own bodies. Consolidating key research on effeminacy and gay bottom identities in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, this interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and historical discussion of gay men's sexual and gendered identities offers new insights for readers interested in gender nonconformity, bottoming, and male homosexuality across cultures. Vytniorgu also offers new perspectives for readers interested in connecting socio-cultural and psychobiological dimensions of gender and sexuality, and for health and educational professionals seeking to deepen their knowledge of LGBTQ+ identities and sexual experiences.

2024 Best Book of the Year Award by the GLBTQ Division of the National Communication Association For a generation of gay men who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming sexually active meant confronting the dangers of catching and transmitting HIV. In the 21st century, however, the development of viral suppression treatments and preventative pills such as PrEP and nPEP has massively reduced the risk of acquiring HIV. Yet some of the stigma around gay male promiscuity and bareback sex has remained, inhibiting open dialogues about sexual desire, risk, and pleasure. A Pill for Promiscuity brings together academics, artists, and activists—from different generations, countries, ethnic backgrounds, and HIV statuses—to reflect on how gay sex has changed in a post-PrEP era. Some offer personal perspectives on the value of promiscuity and the sexual communities it fosters, while others critique unequal access to PrEP and the increased role Big Pharma now plays in gay life. With a diverse group of contributors that includes novelist Andrew Holleran, trans scholar Lore/tta LeMaster, cartoonist Steve MacIsaac, and pornographic film director Mister Pam, this book asks provocative questions about how we might reimagine queer sex and sexuality in the 21st century.

This book examines sexual fantasies and their influence on everyday life through the stories of twenty-two men who introduce themselves as bugchasers, i.e. gay men who eroticize HIV. The author defines bugchasing, charts its history and contexts, and considers how it has changed in the age of internet and PrEP. Through the participants, their experiences and contexts, this text also theorizes about sexual fantasies, seeking to understand how people define sexual fantasies and use the internet as a space to navigate their desires, meet others, and find support. Chapters also consider the practical implications of fantasy, most notably, how fantasies influence men's decisions around HIV prevention and care. This book speaks to renewed interest in both the AIDS crisis and the sociology of everyday life to illustrate how fantasies such as bugchasing appear, evolve, and adapt. This book will be of interest to scholars focused on queer studies, sexuality studies, gender studies, and healthcare.

« Chem-sex », ce terme vous est peut-être inconnu pourtant il est un véritable fléau. Dans la communauté homosexuelle, la consommation de sexe et de drogue piège de plus en plus d'individus. Ma vie en Poudre est un témoignage qui relate six années de vie dans l'enfer de la drogue. Il révèle aussi certaines clés pour se libérer des chaînes de l'accoutumance. Une issue est possible. On parle souvent de drogues mais rarement de ce qu'elles cachent. Venez découvrir où les accoutumances peuvent nous mener.Yann B. nous entraîne avec lui au fond du trou, dans les ténèbres d'une jeune vie ravagée par l'addiction. Ce livre est un combat. Acharné, incessant, haletant. Une suite de promesses qui connaissent autant de renoncements. Une vie réduite en poudre comme d'autres partent en fumée, mais aussi un espoir de lendemain meilleur.Le style est court. Brut. Précis. Ici tout est dit. D'espoirs en déceptions, on assiste l'auteur dans ses tentatives de renouer avec le monde réel.

In work, play, education, and even healthcare, we are using social media during COVID-19 to approximate'normal life'before the pandemic. In Screen Love, Tom Roach urges us to do the opposite. Rather than highlight the ways that social media might help reproduce the pre-pandemic status quo, Roach explores how Grindr and other dating/hookup apps can help us envision a radically new normal: specifically, antinormative conceptions of selfhood and community. Although these media are steeped in neoliberal relational and communicative norms, they offer opportunities to reconceive subjectivity and ethics in ways that defy normative psychological and sexual paradigms. In the virtual cruise, Roach argues, we might experience a queer sociability in which participants are formally interchangeable avatar-objects. On Grindr and other m4m platforms, a model of selfhood championed in liberal-humanist traditions—an intelligent, altruistic, eloquent, and emotionally expressive self—is often a liability. By teasing out the queer ethical and political potential of an antisocial, virtual fungibility, Roach compels readers to think twice about media typically dismissed as sordid, superficial, and narcissistic. Written for students, professors, and nonacademics alike, Screen Love is an accessible, provocative, and at times subversively funny read.

Adam Zmith reveals the long history of the quick rush from sniffing poppers.3, 2, 1... inhale, deep. From the Victorian infirmary and the sex clubs of the 1970s, poppers vapour has released the queer potential inside us all. This is the intriguing story of how poppers wafted out of the lab and into gay bars, corner shops, bedrooms and porn supercuts. Blending historical research with wry observation, Adam Zmith explores the cultural forces and improbable connections behind the power of poppers. What emerges is not just a history of pub raids, viral panics and pecs the size of dinner plates. It is a collection of fresh and provocative ideas about identity, sex, utopia, capitalism, law, freedom and the bodies that we use to experience the world. In Deep Sniff, what starts as a thoughtful enquiry into poppers becomes a manifesto for pleasure.

Explore the titillating world of gay male video pornography in One-Handed Histories: The Eroto-Politics of Gay Male Video Pornography. Author John Burger has compiled years of research on gay male films and videos and covers such interesting topics as: gay male porn history and theory pre-AIDS and post-AIDS awareness the portrayal of safe sex in videos popular memory gay history porn video production Burger contends that gay male video pornography (GMVP) is'a warehouse of our cultural heritage and memory, as well as an important site for the production and modification of this heritage and memory.'He looks at gay porn from social and historical perspectives, using popular memory as the starting point. As a form of popular memory, gay porn allows for numerous revisions and re-writings of American history, which has somewhat excluded gay men. One-Handed Histories assists the reader in placing GMVP in its correct social and historical setting and thus removes much of its stigma as obscene or useless. Gay scholars and even gay porn consumers will enjoy the alternative readings of these films; readings which might instill an interest and pride in gay male history. General gay male readers will discover in One-Handed Histories gay male sexual trends from the late 60s on and how this gay male history is documented by pornography.

'Alex Espinoza's much-anticipated book takes readers on a unique ‘cruise.'” — John Rechy Acclaimed author Alex Espinoza takes readers on an uncensored journey through the underground, to reveal the timeless art of cruising. Combining historical research and oral history with his own personal experience, Espinoza examines the political and cultural forces behind this radical pastime. From Greek antiquity to the notorious Molly houses of 18th century England, the raucous 1970s to the algorithms of Grindr, Oscar Wilde to George Michael, cruising remains at once a reclamation of public space and the creation of its own unique locale—one in which men of all races and classes interact, even in the shadow of repressive governments. In Uganda and Russia, we meet activists for whom cruising can be a matter of life and death; while in the West he shows how cruising circumvents the inequalities and abuses of power that plague heterosexual encounters. Ultimately, Espinoza illustrates how cruising functions as a powerful rebuke to patriarchy and capitalism—unless you are cruising the department store restroom, of course.

Marking the tenth anniversary of Tim Dean's Unlimited Intimacy, Raw returns to the question of sex without condoms, or barebacking, a timely topic in the age of PrEP, a drug that virtually eliminates the transmission of HIV.'Essential reading for anyone interested in the politics of sex, sexuality and sexual representation in the 21st century.'—John Mercer, author of Gay Pornography'Finally, queer theory returns to a topic it has had surprisingly little to say about: sex! Underpinning these essays is a thrilling wager: that desire demands discourse but resists rationalization.'—Damon R. Young, author of Making Sex Public and Other Cinematic Fantasies'A major contribution to research. It opens up the discourse on barebacking to a varity of perspectives and theoretical arguments, and makes clear that the topic remains relevant.'—John Paul Ricco, author of The Decision Between Us'Raw provides an account of the state of queer-theoretical scholarship on bareback today, and makes a pluralising and distinctive contribution to that body of work, significantly broadening this field of scholarship.'—Oliver Davis, editor of Bareback Sex and Queer Theory across Three National Contexts (France, UK, US) Contributors: Jonathan A. Allan (Brandon University), Tim Dean (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Elliot Evans (University of Birmingham), Christien Garcia (University of Cambridge), Octavio R. Gonzales (Wellesley College), Adam J. Greteman (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Frank G. Karioris (University of Pittsburgh & American University of Central Asia), Gareth Longstaff (Newcastle University), Paul Morris (San Francisco), Susanna Paasonen (University of Turku), Diego Semerene (Oxford Brookes University), Evangelos Tziallas (Concordia University), Ricky Varghese (Toronto), Rinaldo Walcott (University of Toronto)

In the richly musical and boldly imaginative poems of The Dean of Discipline, Michael Waters explores the confluences of the sensual and the spiritual, and renders their mysteries with precision and clarity. The title evokes the rigorous consciousness that prods the artist to deepen into his craft. Line by line, Waters delivers the passionate eloquence and intensity that distinguish his poems.

Bringing together theory and public health practice, this interdisciplinary collection analyses three forms of nonconventional or radical sexualities: bareback sex, BDSM practices, and public sex. Drawing together the latest empirical research from Brazil, Canada, Spain, and the USA, it mobilizes queer theory and poststructuralism, engaging the work of theorists such as Bataille, Butler, Deleuze and Guattari, and Foucault, among others. While the collection contributes to current research in gender and sexuality studies, it does so distinctly in the context of empirical investigations and discourses on critical public health. Radical Sex Between Men: Assembling Desiring-Machines will be of interest to advanced undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and researchers in gender and sexuality studies, sexology, social work, anthropology, and sociology, as well as practitioners in nursing, medicine, allied health professions, and psychology.

Virtual Intimacies tells the stories of gay men, including the author, who navigate social worlds in which the boundaries between real and virtual have been thoroughly confounded. Shaka McGlotten analyzes intimate connection and disconnection across an array of media sites, including mass mediated public sex scandals, online spaces, Do-It-Yourself porn, and smartphone apps in order to show the ordinary ways people challenge and rework sexuality and technology. The book frames'virtual intimacy'in terms of the mocking disapproval that looks at using technology to connect as something shameful or as a means of last resort. However, where many see a dead end, Virtual Intimacies argues on behalf of more extensive understandings of intimacy, thereby contributing to many feminist and queer approaches that seek to expand the scope of what counts as connection, belonging, or love. The author also highlights the creative and resilient ways that queer people build social worlds using spaces and technologies in ways they were not intended.

Gay men reveal their preferenceand the reasons behind it! Gay Men and Anal Eroticism: Tops, Bottoms, and Versatiles is a no-holds-barred examination of one of society's most persistent taboos. In a remarkably candid collection of frank and forthright interviews, 21 gay men talk about the role anal sex plays in their lives and relationships and their choices to act as insertive (top) or receptive (bottom) partnersor both (versatile). Ranging in age from 21 to 65, the men discuss the reasons behind (and consequences of) their choices; how they define their sexual roles (and how those roles are defined by gay society); issues of power, trust, and vulnerability; and the concept (in both straight and gay society) that tops and bottoms are socially and morally unequal. These unique interviews, conducted by the author in the Boston and Provincetown areas, celebrate choice in gay men's sexuality while debating whether preference is genetically based or socially formeda debate largely ignored in social science studies. The men interviewedincluding gay porn icon Cole Tuckerdiscuss perceptions muddied by stereotypes, preconceived notions, and exaggerated scenarios, and the meanings gay men assign to anal sex, including dominance and submission roles related to masculine/feminine, aggressive/passive implications. The interviews also cover each subject's personal history as a gay man, safe sex in the AIDS era, childhood traumas, first-time sexual encounters, loves, desires, and obsessions. The interviews for Gay Men and Anal Eroticism provide insights that are equal parts thoughtful and outrageous, humorous and heartbreaking: Aaron, age 24: I sort of fell into this image of myself as being a very aggressive bottom, a guy who knew what he wanted and who didn't want any wimps applying. Danny, 21: There's a mindset about being a top it's kinda like maintaining the ship. Sam, 36: I hate to say it, but I'm a bottom I don't like to be identified like that because I feel it turns me into something all the way from my feet up to my head. Eddie, 42: I guess I enjoy more being a top than a bottom because I haven't found a good top. and Cole Tucker: A physical act doesn't really make you a top or a bottom. It's a function, an organic function of what you do. It's the dynamics of where you come from. The revealing disclosures of Gay Men and Anal Eroticism show equality in man-to-man sex to be as varied as the number of individuals who pursue it. Addressing traditional misunderstandings and misconceptions of gay men as either limp-wrested fairies or masculine trade, the book uncovers that there is much more to this complex issue than personal preference.

PEEK: Inside the Private World of Public Sex is an up close and personal look at impersonal sex, exploring where-to, how-to, and when-to have sex in public. This educational and instructive guide reveals the steamy world of sex in bathhouses, gyms, parks, peep shows, swinger's clubs, men's rooms, and cruising on the Internet. The book provides interviews of a broad range of men discussing their diverse sexual escapades, from traditional to the definitely nontraditional. PEEK is an essential guide for anyone fascinated with—and wanting to find—gay sex in the 21st century.

Wide-ranging research suggests that partners in gay male and bisexual relationships do not necessarily expect monogamy, or see it as an important issue. Although the frequency of gay male and bisexual non-monogamous partnerships tends to be widely acknowledged in social science literature, these relationships have rarely been explored in more detail. By providing rich empirical data, thoughtful analysis and theoretical debate, this book makes a significant contribution to the sociological literature on sexual and intimate relationships. More specifically it explores the diversity of gay male and bisexual relationship practices in the context of heteronormative citizenship and intra-social movement conflict, and highlights the complexity of power relations that circumscribe queer people's relationships and sexual lives. Written in an accessible and engaging manner, The Spectre of Promiscuity provides important insights for further studies on sexual culture, discourse, citizenship, politics and ethics.