Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Public Sex/ Gay Space



Here's an interesting excerpt from a book I am dying to have a copy of:

Public Sex/ Gay Space
by Joseph Stokes

A character on Showtime's Queer as Folk recently expressed surprise that her friend had sex with someone before having a conversation. The friend, as you probably could guess, was a gay man. Although many individual gay men have little or no interest in sex outside of an intimate relationship, as a group gay men surely engage in more than their share of casual and anonymous sex. The reason is twofold: They have both the desire and the opportunity to do so.

Having the desire is much more about being male than being gay. People vary in the degree to which they enjoy sex in the absence of commitment or emotional closeness. Generally, men are more interested than women in having sex with someone to whom they feel no commitment, although there is great variability among both male and female individuals. The evidence also suggests that straight and gay men are not different in this regard (e.g., Bailey, Gaulin, Agyei, & Gladue, 1994). The opportunities for straight and gay men are, however, quite different. When sex involves only men, the chance of finding a willing partner for casual or anonymous encounters are obviously greater.

2 comments:

LoF said...

i read it when i was in graduate school -- was interesting. pray to saint anthony, you never know what you might get.

Anonymous said...

I CAN'T HELP but smile after reading the excerpt from the book...why do i need someone to tell me that sugar is sweet and fire is hot. everything that he said are known facts (both gay and straight). nothing new. seems like a total waste of time to read the book...there are worthwhile better selections in your local gay bookstore.