Bareback Cottaging

I wrote a chapter which was published earlier this year on ‘Dogging Diaries and Cameras in the Cruising Ground’, in I.Rivers and R.Ward, Out of the Ordinary: Representations of LGBT Lives (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing) (available on Amazon here).  In the chapter, I explored the visual (often in porn) presentation public sex.  Whilst dogging porn has exploded (so to speak) in recent years, there hasn't been the same amount of commercially produced 'cottaging' (or 'tearoom') porn.

I was therefore interested to learn of this new British release, entitled 'Bareback Cottaging'.   The cover images are predictably NSFW but can be viewed here, and you can also purchase the DVD there (I think it's available for download too).  You can follow one of the performers - Dan Jarrett - on Twitter.  Check him out here.

A Bog Standard Ethnography

Thanks to the Tumblr of 'The Strange Decline of the English Cottage' for flagging up this rather fab site.  The Bog Blog has been in operation since 2005 featuring photos and commentary on public toilets from across the land.  The blog states that it's not connected with cottaging which seems an odd statement to make.

Certainly, many of these locations may contain cottaging memories for some viewers and the reverential treatment that these temples of defecation receive is entirely in keeping with the appreciation that many cottagers will hold for these declining public sex environments.  The inclusion of graffiti along with the general geographical recording of these venues similarly serves as an ethnographic study of public toilets which will be of interest to those fascinated by public sex for many years to come.  Check it out here.

The Men's Room

News reaches me of a new little film project that's now doing the rounds of some film festivals.  The official synopsis describes the film in the following intriguing terms:

'The Men's Room is an emotionally charged short film dealing with explicit themes of male sexuality, intimacy, and the concept of public decency. When Thomas ventures into a park for a sexual encounter with a stranger, he uncovers a striking complexity composed of desire, fear, and betrayal when his would-be anonymous sex partner turns out to be a cop. The Men's Room explores the seemingly unwelcome yet enduring pastime of public sex, a world of secrecy and code lurking just below the surface of normalcy.'

It's hard to judge from just the trailer-  i'd certainly like to see the full film - but it does seem a bit arty/pained dry US drama of the type I've seen before.  The conversation in cubicles scene didn't immediately ring true although I'd like to see how they get to that point.  Moreover, it's fascinating to see that cottaging/tearooms can still be a key context in which to set a film.  Quite what that means for defining the subject I'm not sure - and is another reason as to why the film will be worth watching.

Anyway, check out the trailer and see what you make of it.



The Men's Room Trailer from Nature Show on Vimeo.

Help Wanted: The Strange Decline of the English Cottage

I really hope that some blog readers can help out with this film project.  I did an interview with them last year as one of the 'experts' but they also want to document individual stories of cottaging.  They are an enlightened bunch and worth helping out if you can.  It's so important that we document these public sex narratives.

Here's the shout-out from them:

The Strange Decline of the English Cottage (working title) is a documentary currently being made about history and decline of cottaging in the UK. We are currently looking for people to help us by contributing their real life stories of cottaging experiences so that we can record them using voice actors and then use them to weave the story of cottaging.

We are interested in hearing from everyone who has a story they would like to share whether it is amusing or perhaps more cautionary. A lot of people have had bad experiences involving the police or queer bashers and it is important that we record these experiences for posterity.

We are also very interested in hearing from married men who cottage or used to cottage. We would like to record your experiences of cottaging rituals, practises and practises, using or responding to graffiti as well as why you cottaged and the small details that stick in your memory.

If you are interested in finding out more or you have a story you would like to share, please email Graham at grakirby@gmail.com

Here's their Tumblr account relating to the project.

Chris Ashford on Cottaging

I've previously mentioned that last year I took part in an interview for a documentary film project entitled The Strange Decline of the English Cottage -you can read more about that project here and join their Facebook page here.

I'm hoping it will get finished at some point this year as it's an amazing project but given it's a hobby project for the director and those involved, it's seems to be taking a while.

Anyway, you can see some edited highlights of my day filming.  Unfortunately for me, my hair suggests I have been dragged through a hedge before filming, I have no neck and my accent goes on something of a gripping journey.  All of which should give you some sadistic pleasure in watching, if the fascinating content on this aspect of public sex - specifically sex in public toilets - does not enthral you.  Enjoy!

Bareback and Gloryholes

I'm sad to say I've been a bit slow to discover this wonderful podcast about bareback sex and gloryholes/public sex.  It's from  Distorted View Dailywhich is a daily comedy podcast.  The site describes how the presenter, Tim Henson, 'scours the darkest corners of the web in search of the truly bizarre. He then presents his finds to you, complete with unique (read: crass, vulgar, childish, and inappropriate) commentary. For a half hour each day, sit back and witness this audiophonic trainwreck. After listening, you’ll feel much better about your own life.'

So...don't expect a podcast extolling the virtues of bareback and public sex, although Henson is talking with bareback brother website architect, Mark Bentson - who I finally hear.  It's a really fascinating interview covering a lot of ground.  A must listen for all my students and anyone interested in public sex, glory holes, bareback sex, and HIV transmission (including stealthing).

Check out the podcast here.  The podcast proper begins at 2.11.

You can check out Mark's explicit gloryhole etiquette guide here and you can see the bareback brotherhood (also explicit) here.  You can also read my earlier blogpost on the bareback brotherhood here.

The remarkable thing (for me) about the podcast is that Mark sounds much more engaging, open and convincing than he does in text.  I'm already convinced, but it seems to me a pretty relaxed commentary in which you think 'fair enough' - at least at first.  He even deals really well with the "worth a bit of AIDS" line.  I also wonder how many males who have sex with men find these anecdotes familiar - especially the stuff about males who claim to be 'safe sex only'.  Where Mark maybe comes undone is the use of stealthing - an activity that I continue to unreservedly condemn.  It's a shame as I think his acceptance of stealthing undermines his wider bareback arguments.

Cottaging and the (Homo)normative

The September issue of Gay Times is 'The Sex Issue' featuring the often constructed dumb but rather sweet Alex Reid on the cover. For my money, it's a horribly unflattering picture of him, leaving you wanting to prescribe a new skin-care regime for him (mine is terrible but then I'm not a celebrity on the front a of a national magazine).

Anyway, beyond these superficial issues, the issue includes a welcome piece on dogging covering several pages and written by Jack Cullen. He also blogs here and his blog reveals he is a very young journalist. This is perhaps evident in the disappointingly superficial piece. It has lots of great bits and he is brave enough to reveal his own experiments with cottaging for the piece (although whether this is his normal pattern of behaviour is left unclear). Although much of the piece makes reference to gay men, the piece concludes with: '[cottaging] hasn't fully died, and will forever remain a window of opportunity for straight men looking to cross the borderline'. Where does this come from? How does it fit with the piece? What of the young guys using cottages? What of the way these places are still policed? What impact does that have? This feels a real missed opportunity.

I know, I know, I'm an academic and not a journalist. My take on a subject

I've studied for years is going to be different but it seems a shame that when a subject is examined, it misses out some key and interesting issues. It's also a shame that they don't mention the ongoing documentary project The Strange Decline of the English Cottage. There are also a number of living academics - Paul Johnson, Les Moran, Matt Houlbrook and myself - who could have provided Jack with a better understanding of this issue. The piece is therefore more important for telling us what a young gay journalist in their early twenties will say about cottaging rather than as a piece about cottaging.

Finally, Gay Times flags up (repeatedly) that 'cottaging is illegal' - which it is - although no indication of how it's policed (lots of things are illegal, the question is if you can get away with it, and what happens if you're caught). GT provides a 'top tips' for cottaging but then off-sets this with the statement: 'Under no circumstances does GT think you should go cottaging'. Wow, prissy little GT. If ever there was an example of the emergent (homo) normative narrative it was this anti-public sex stance. Along with bareback sex and drugs, we put cottaging in the new anti-gay bucket. In reality of course, many gay men (and journalists) do, I would suggest, cottage, bareback and take drugs, but these are increasingly the censored aspects of modern gay men's lives. This is a sex issue that tells gay men to stop having the 'wrong' sort of sex. It's an interesting development.

I discuss this idea of the (homo)normative in a piece just published in Durham Law Review (when I get a PDF of it I'll stick it up on here and SSRN). It should also be available on Heinonline at some point. I also pick up these issues in the media context in a recent webzine piece that you can read here.

The Strange Decline of the English Cottage

On Wednesday I was down in London doing some filming for a documentary on 'cottaging', or sex in toilets (tearooms, bogs, boxes, beats). After some slight shifting around the schedules, I popped off to Central Station for some filming. Graham and Sapphire were very patient as I repeatedly rambled, tripped myself, um'd and err'd and generally made a fist of it. After a few hours, we'd filled the video memory and that was that but I'm assured it went well. I might get some preview video to share with you, and if I do (and it's not too embarrassing) I'll pop it up on here for you're entertainment.

I'm one of the unknowns to be interviewed but the documentary team have spoken to a fantastic line-up, and you can see some of them on the documentary Tumblr page here. You should also follow Graham/the documentary on Twitter here, and it also has a Facebook page here.

Public Toilet as Art Space

I think this story is so wonderful. A former public loo in Bristol is now an art space. It is only temporary and I doubt I can get down for it as it is only open weekends and closes on 20th March (currently looking into cost and logistics of a flight down and staying with a friend overnight - that's how excited I am). Anyway, they've posted some pics on their blog which you can check out here. I am fascinated by this beautiful Victorian spaces. Given my research into public sex, I can't help but wonder how many people have had sex there. Warped mind.