Public cruising gay
Cruising
This blog was written by our Sexual Health Outreach Worker, Chris Dunbar.
Sometimes, having sex in the safe confines of your bedroom just doesn’t cut it. You may be looking for somewhere new, seeking thrill or adventure, or just not be able to include the sex you want within your four walls. You may have heard someone talk about cruising, or hold been asked if you want to go, but what does it actually mean?
Let’s have a look together at what it means, the laws, and general safety if you do opt to give it a go.
Definition
Cruising is walking or driving about certain areas, called cruising grounds, looking for a sexual partner. These meetings are usually one-off, anonymous encounters.
Cottaging is a phrase used to portray anonymous sex meetings in public toilets.
Where do the terms come from?
Cruising: The word originated as a gay slang term, sometime in the early 1960s, as a way for people who knew its interpretation to arrange sexual meetings. It was a way to plan sexual encounters without attracting the attention of people who may aspire to report them to the authorities, or inflict damage. The term is used many countries including the UK, the U
Safe Cruising
As well as pubs, clubs, saunas and websites, there are many parks, beaches, toilets and open spaces where men move cruising for sex.
If you apply these public areas for sex, here are some tips that may help keep you and others safe.
You won’t normally meeting any problems but it pays to be prepared.
Before you move …
- Check local newspapers & other cruisers, if a site has been in the news then it may attract trouble makers or the police.
- Familiarise yourself with the area, check for depart routes & how to obtain to safety & remember things look very different at night.
- “Cottages” are more likely to draw gay bashers & the police, there is also less chance of escape.
- Try and let someone know where and when you are going.
- Ideally go with a friend & arrange to gather up regularly whilst there.
- If you have been drinking or taking drugs your judgement will be impaired and you will produce yourself more vulnerable.
DON'T take…
- Credit cards, jewellery & large amounts of cash.
- Even if you keep them in a zipped pocket they may still be lost or stolen.
- I-pod or walkman, they will distract you and make you a target for muggers.
- An
Your Guide to Cruising
How to Cruise
Cruising has arrive a long way since hanky code, polari, and subtle glances. There are lots of alternative locations to suit any preference, such as:
- Public bathrooms
- Cruising bars and clubs
- Gay saunas
- Cruising parks
- Gay cruising beaches
Not only can you meet guys in public spaces but in online ones too. For example, Grindr is essentially a cruising catalogue of who's around, and also a great tool to predetermine the location that you'll link up in. You can also decide to cruise on alt twitter, a subsection of Twitter where people make mostly anonymous profiles, post spicy R18 content, and arrange hook ups or content collabs.
When it comes to universal spaces, it helps if there are other people there to cruise! Click here for a comprehensive list of places throughout Fresh Zealand / Aotearoa that are recognizable as cruising sites, or visit Squirt.org (this is a paid service) for more. Remember, you may also run-in people who aren’t looking to cruise so it’s key to know what signs to watch out for - read on to find out.
The Freddie Guide to: Cruising
What is gay cruising?
Straight cruising is a vacay on a boat. Gay cruising is the art of hooking up in common.
Cruising is almost always anonymous, and can be one-on-one, in groups, or with others watching. It’s done by using non-verbal cues to show you’re both interested – reflect of it like a secret, horny code. Some people will have sex right there, while some may take their significant other to a more prudent location.
Where did cruising show up from?
Cruising has a lengthy history in the gender non-conforming community. There are recorded cruising spots in cities like Toronto, London and New York dating help over a hundred years. In the time before gay bars, when homosexuality was illegal, public places were often the only option for queer people to meet each other.
Evidence for this often comes from prosecution records – we know where people were cruising based on arrests for “sodomy” or “gross indecency”. These were historic offences made to criminalize gay sex, and were almost exclusively applied to queer men. Sodomy and indecency laws were common throughout the British Empire, but have been repealed in most countries.
In the US, anti-sodomy laws were r