Chapter 1. Public Setting for “Private” Encounters
expectations that sex can be had without obligation or commitment
o search for “instant sex”
the only “true” tearoom is one that gains reputation as a place where homosexual encounters
occur
in April-October that Midwestern homosexuals call “the hunting season”- tearooms may surpass
any other locale of homoerotic enterprise in volume of activity
they are accessible, easily recognized by the initiate, and provide little public visibility
Availability
most cities my prof has seen were constructed of a native white stone with men and women’s
facilities back-to-back under one red roof
o heavy wooden doors, usually screened from public view
o 3 urine. 2 stalls
most of these are located along the expressway
tearoom activity reaches its peak at the close of the workday, restrooms draw more customers if
located near principal commuting routes of the metropolitan area
the two facilities he found that attached the greatest numbers were adjacent to four-lane traffic
arteries
Locating the Action
some might wait for months before observing a deviant act
the prof would enter, wait and watch
during warm seasons, those restrooms that are isolated from other park facilities, such as
playgrounds, tennis courts, etc are more popular for deviant activity
the most active tearooms studied were all isolated from recreational areas, cut off by drives or
lakes from baseball diamonds
an ideal setting for homo activity is a tearoom situated on an island of grass, with roads close by
on each side
o getaway car is just a few stops away
woman’s side of the washroom is barely used
active tearooms are identifiable by the number of cars parked nearby
o if 2 or more cars remain in front of the relatively isolated washroom for more than 10
minutes then it’s a clue
a lone arriver will usually wait in his car until at least one other has parked nearby
men who play the tearoom game must know when someone is approaching
if the windows are opaque glass, nailed shut and no problem panes, the researcher presume that
it is rarely used for homo encounters
popular tearooms have at least one pane broken from each window, unless the windows have
been opened
o so they can see whose approaching
graffiti used to provide some indication of deviant acts
restrooms of lower class or close to schools tend to encourage more writings than those of middle
class
in more active tearooms, it says “show hard-get sucked” “will suck cocks-10/12/66 all morning” or
“I have 8 inches- who wants it”
writings of walls of true tearooms are straightforward
Volume and Variety
men will come to be known as regular participants
popular b/c they attract a variety of men, a minority of whom are active in homo subculture
Privacy in Public
no talking to guarantee anonymity
1 less personal than any form of sexual activity
if the person wants to see the person again, they will have certain standards for that person
Chapter 2. Methods: Sociologists as Voyeur
Other Tearooms
department store tearooms, most men wear ties
some places, there are no doors on the stalls in public parks, signals from the stalls are all bodily
motion variety
Neatness versus Accuracy
hypotheses should develop out of such ethnographic work, rather than provide restrictions and
distortions from its inception
Serving as Watchqueen
a man who is at the doors or window from which he may observe the means of access to the
restroom
he coughs when someone approaches, nod when coast is clear
the lookout falls into three main types
“waiters”, men who are waiting for someone with whom they have made an appointment or whom
they expect to find at the spot
the others are masturbators while observing sexual acts
voyeurs who appear to derive sexual stimulation from watching others
o as being this, he can move around the room at will and observe all that was going on
without alarming his respondents
waiters sometimes masturbate while waiting
Sampling Covert deviants
Hooker noted that homos who lead secret lives are usually available for stud when they get caught or
seeks psychiatric help
entered the tearoom, left, waited in car for the men and recorded their license plate and brief
descriptions
Systematic Observation
developed a systematic observation sheet to record observations
report sheet includes place or recording the time and place involved, description of participants,
description of weather and other environmental conditions, diagram on which movements of a the
participants could be plotted, along with location of the places of contract and sex, as well as
complete description of the progress of the encounters and reactions of the observer
Obtrusive Measures
majority of the participants were married and nearly were all secretive
we was asked to develop a questionnaire for social health survey of men in the community so he
used that to ask his participants
did the interviews a year after the time passed
changed his car and appearance so he wouldn’t be recognized
mens whose interviewed were completed were middle-upper class and more highly educated
those who were lost respondents a more transient group
largest single occupational class in the same was truck drivers
Chapter 3. Rules & Roles
if the player use things like hope, and luck they will experience excitement in the action
o such feelings higher the reward and lowers the costs, and increasing the profit
Role Flexibility
Players:
Insertee is the cock-sucker
Insertor is the one being blown, in anal the “fucker”
Lookouts (watchqueens)
2 Waiters- men who are waiting for a particular person, a particular type of “trick” or for a chance to get in
on the action
Masturbators- those who either are present just to masturbate or engage in masturbation while being
waiters
Voyeurs- those who get their kicks out of watching others engage in sex, sometimes are masturbators
Agents of social control
vice squad members, park policemen and other park employees
insertees and insertors are identifiable only in an sex act
waiters or even straights can be transformed into players
the aggressor was defined as the player who first made commitment
Chapter 4- Patterns of Collective Action
Approaching
gesture with hands, motion with eyes, physical movement, erection, movement
while waiting, he looks at the situation over, if theres any police cars
o trying to look as natural as possible while checking out the place
Positioning
once he positions himself at the urinal, hes already begun his first move of the game
occupies the end stalls
if he stands close to the fixture, and his front side may not be easily seen, and gazes downward,
he is straight
if playing, he will stand back form the urinal, allowing his gaze to shift from side to side or to the
ceiling
next step is, the other man move to the urinal at the opposite end being careful to leave a “safe”
distance between the two
o indicates that those who occupy a stall upon entering are playing what might be called
the Passive-Insertee system
Signaling
For insertees, positioning is vital for informing others of their intentions
o Watching for “handling” to see whether he is going to play with himself
o Going to pretend to masturbate and that’s a signal
willing player (esp intended insertor) steps a few inches back form the urinal so that his penis
may be viewed easily
o most who are insertors will engage in casual masturbation at the urinal
o then begins to stroke it or play with it
o as soon as another observes this, he will begin autoerotic manipulation aka erection
o the prospective partner will look intently at the other’s dick and occasionally breaks his
stare only to fix directly on the eyes of the other
if there are doors on stalls, foot tapping or note passing may happen
if there is a small hole called “glory hole” carved at about average penis height, it may be used as
a means of signaling from the stall
Maneuvering
the third move of the game is optional
conveys little info so it may be skipped
others may use this stage to move closer t someone or to move from urinal to stall
the restrooms floor plan is the strongest determinant of what happens during this phase of the
game
Contracting
contracts depend by the intended role of the initator
those who wants to be the insertee makes this move b holding his partner’s erect penis
one who wants to be an insertor steps into the stall where the prospective insertee is seated
3 in the positioning and signaling phrases, they already indicated their intentions
at this stage, there is an agreement and sets the term of the payoff
man who is seated in the stall and is the passive party to the contract will generally end up as the
insertee
the man who stands at the urinal and is passive in the contract stage, will be the insertor usually
the glory hole serves as a peephole for observation, a signaling device and as a place of entry for
the penis in the insertee’s stall
Insertee Insertor
Active Position: urinal Position: urinal
Signal: casual masturbation Signal: casual masturbation
Contract: manipulates Contract: steps into partner’s
partner’s penis stall
Passive Position: sits in stall Position: urinal
Signal: masturbation signal: masturbation
(sometimes beckoning) contract: accepts partner’s
Contract: accepts manipulation
Partner’s entry
Foreplay
may be seen as a fifth phase, it is optional
foreplay may help maintain the level of stimulation required for proceeding
The Payoff
insertors will sustain the action by clasping the back of his head, or placing his hands on his
partners shoulders
using the hand to stop the penis from gagging
handplay tends to raise level of involvement
sometimes the act happens in front of the window so the insertor can act as the lookout
anal is rare in most tearooms b/c of the time require
mutual masturbation is common for reaching orgasm
Clearing the Field
once sexual exchange is accomplished, most insertors step into a stall to use toilet paper
after the penis is cleaned, clothes are rearranged and flies zipped
when a man is an insertor, he left for his car immediately after cleansing
the insertee frequently waits in the tearoom for someone else to enter
o but sometimes he becomes the insertor
a pat on the shoulder, wave of a hand and a thanks conclude the action
these games take between 5-40 minutes
Coping with intrusions
the first is zipping the fly
o he wants to cover his exposure
the 2 is looking innocent
straights stay for no more than two minutes
the third where participants in the tearoom game cope with disruptive entries involves what he
calls “speculative inquiry”
o every man becomes his own self-appointed investigating committee
o if the newcomer is safe, nods may pass around the room
Chapter 5. Risks of the Game
they fear discover most
someone who discovers them and knows them from outside the tearoom is a fear
a possibility of bodily harm
4 The Police
before technology was produced, they spied, used decoys and raids
decoys are the most popular of catching
raids are popular for reactive purposes and for prevention of sex
Police Lawlessness
the decoy’s M.O may be to loiter inside engaging a suspect in friendly convo, using hand washing
or urinal
Blackmail
most black mailing is done by law enforcement and as a result of decoy operations, some is
practiced by those who pose as police officers, a small amount is attempted by close friends of
victims
sometimes police were paid off by sexual service, donations were made to charity fund in return
for release, or just pay them
“instant alibi” I have to go to the washroom so I stopped
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