Opinion
The Evolution of Gay Sex Clubs
(Steve Weinstein Village Voice)
This year’s New York Pride Week marks a turning point in the relationship between heterosexual and homosexual culture in America. California has recently started issuing same sex marriage licenses and the political climate might be right for other states to follow suit.
This year could also see a change in the relationship between homosexuals and nightlife. As the social system changes, staples of gay culture begin to fade away. Gay sex clubs might be one of those staples. It is not necessarily government persecution or disease that’s fueling this trend. A certain segment of the gay community doesn’t seem to want those kinds of parties anymore. The argument is that because coming out doesn’t automatically lead to social isolation anymore, gays and lesbians are less likely to seek release in public sex venues and are therefore less likely to seek out gay sex parties.
While there might be some merit to this argument, there is evidence that the city is helping the trend along by exerting pressure on local gay sex clubs (See Nightlife News Health 4/29/08: “City Cracks Whip on Gay Sex Clubs”) and HIV is still a major concern (See Nightlife News Health 1/8/08: “HIV Cases on the Rise”). Maybe it’s the combination of all three factors, plus the rise of the internet as a source of sexual contact, that are killing off the gay sex parties. This combination could lead to lower HIV rates and further social acceptance between straight and gay communities. It could also be another sign of the homogenization of nightlife in New York, where more and more things are the same and the unique flavor of the city is harder to find.
The Evolution of Gay Sex Clubs
(Steve Weinstein Village Voice)
This year’s New York Pride Week marks a turning point in the relationship between heterosexual and homosexual culture in America. California has recently started issuing same sex marriage licenses and the political climate might be right for other states to follow suit.
This year could also see a change in the relationship between homosexuals and nightlife. As the social system changes, staples of gay culture begin to fade away. Gay sex clubs might be one of those staples. It is not necessarily government persecution or disease that’s fueling this trend. A certain segment of the gay community doesn’t seem to want those kinds of parties anymore. The argument is that because coming out doesn’t automatically lead to social isolation anymore, gays and lesbians are less likely to seek release in public sex venues and are therefore less likely to seek out gay sex parties.
While there might be some merit to this argument, there is evidence that the city is helping the trend along by exerting pressure on local gay sex clubs (See Nightlife News Health 4/29/08: “City Cracks Whip on Gay Sex Clubs”) and HIV is still a major concern (See Nightlife News Health 1/8/08: “HIV Cases on the Rise”). Maybe it’s the combination of all three factors, plus the rise of the internet as a source of sexual contact, that are killing off the gay sex parties. This combination could lead to lower HIV rates and further social acceptance between straight and gay communities. It could also be another sign of the homogenization of nightlife in New York, where more and more things are the same and the unique flavor of the city is harder to find.
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