As even the most saccharine queer representation comes under attack, and porn bans proliferate across the U.S., some queer people have rightfully sanitized their presence online and IRL; but others—sex party promoters, kink community leaders and educators alike—have refused to shy away from the more explicit aspects of the queer experience.
Despite what pearl-clutching critics of play parties, bathhouses and other sex-inclusive spaces would have you believe, the bacchanalian festivities actually serve important cultural and historical purposes for queer people, dating back more than a century. More complex than simply a space for people to have sex, bathhouses, play parties and sex clubs are places where queer culture is born, connections are made and community is found.
And though the advent of hookup apps have made these physical spaces less necessary, per se, spaces where people can meet in public for sex, or meet to suss out a potential hookup, still serve a necessary purpose.
I think the disconnect is the word public. The article’s thesis is:
My perspective as an outsider/ally: I agree that they are important, but think they are less important than at other times in history.
But again I think the disconnect is the word public: I don’t want to be sitting next to people having sex while on the bus. I don’t think that’s what the author is advocating for, so I just don’t think the word public is the right choice. I think they are advocating for public spaces accepting of sexual diversity, and separate communal places for individuals to have diverse kinds of sex.