GR14: cruising for it - carolyn suzuki

GR: Why did you start a Web site about cruising?
Keith: I was associate publisher of a magazine called Steam, which dealt exclusively with public sex, including listings.
It folded, but at the time I thought this type of information was exactly what people would want on the Internet.
Now, after over three years, my website is the most visited gay website in the world.
And I'm still the same one-man operation I was when I first uploaded files back in 1995.

GR: I'm sure there are plenty of people who disagree with the act of public sex. Do you get any shit from people?
Keith: There are plenty of people who disagree with the act, but people still do it.
They may not recognize it for what it isÐespecially straight people with their sense of privilegeÐbut believe it or not, straight people have public sex all the time. The big difference, though, is that opposite-sex couples rarely get arrested on public sex charges.

GR: How reliable are your sources? Do you check any or all of them out yourself?
Keith: I hope this last question was asked as a bit of humor! There are tens of thousands of listings for countries all over the world.
I am not a superhuman sex fiend! I rely on the honesty of my site visitors and since I get so many tips, I can fairly quickly find out (from a tip) if a claim about a place is bogus. I get about 250 to 300 E-mail messages daily.

GR: As far as you know, how long has "cruising" been going on between men?
Keith: Cruising is nothing more than another way people communicate with each other. I would imagine it is as old as humans.
Certainly with the development of cities, cruising has gotten better organized over the centuries, but it has always been something people do.

GR: Can you tell me a little about the cruising scene in Asian countries and in Asian sections of America?
Keith: Cruising is universal. Of course, Asian peoples all over the world cruise. In the U.S., for example, I have a very active tea room posted in a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. I understand their business has never been better. Tea rooms do exist in Tokyo.
I have at least one listed on my site. I have a regular contributor from Japan who keeps me updated on the sex scene.
Tokyo in particular is very active for sex, though the Japanese have very low opinions of foreigners and that tends to get in the way of some of the potential for Ôcross-cultural exchange.' Bangkok, of course, is famous for sex. One of the best bathhouses in the world is in Bangkok.
I'm getting more and more news from Malaysia and Indonesia. Even despotic countries like Singapore and China have active cruisingÐ proof positive that no regime can fully control the desires of its people. My information for Asia is limited by the limits of the people having easy access to the Internet. Japan, being so very wired, ranks near the top for numbers of visitors to my site (though still very far behind the U.S.).
When more of Asia gets wired, tips coming from that region will increase.

GR: Your site lists areas where entrapment by police has occurred or areas where there's police activity. What happens if a little kid walks in and sees public sex going on?
Keith: Make me throw up! That little kid scenario is so fucking lame. Gay people have had the "sexual predator" charge used against us for ages to prevent us from working, renting, etc. There is no evidence that men who cruise for sex in public places are more inclined to harm a child.
Straight men, primarily the fathers, brothers, uncles, and friends, are the ones who molest the kids. If a kid did walk into a scene, the scene would quickly stop. Cruisers have no interest in coming to the attention of a kid because children disrupt the scene for them.
Hence, cruisers tend to stay away from places popular with kids. Besides, my hunch is that the real harm to a child comes from the adults who will over-react and fill kids' brains with all sorts of bad ideas that sex is dirty and best kept behind closed doors.

GR: I went to a few parks to check the whole scene out, and I found no glory holes. From what I hear, they're hard to find. Why is that?
Keith: No big secret. Creating a hole requires someone taking the time to go to a place with a concealed drill and cutting open a hole.
Very few people have the time or the balls to do that sort of thing!

GR: What's the difference between getting sucked off in the bushes somewhere and getting sucked off through a G-hole? Which do you prefer?
Keith: I'm a bottom, so I don't like getting sucked off that much to begin with. Sex outdoors is one of the great pleasures of life. But glory holes have brought me a great deal of pleasure over the years, as well.

GR: Have you ever had sex with more than one guy in a tea room or outdoors?
Keith: I've had sex with lots of men in parks and toilets over the years. Certainly it isn't unusual to have more than one man when you visit one of these places.

GR: Have you ever been caught?
Keith: Never. I've been lucky. Thousands of men are arrested every month in the U.S. for wanking off in a toilet stall, doing it behind the bushes, or simply glancing at an undercover cop.

GR: What about bashers?
Keith: Again, I've been lucky. I also follow my own rules to trust my instincts. If I feel at all unsafe, I leave.

GR: What are the advantages of going to tea rooms and having sex with complete strangers? Are most of the men single?
Keith: Lots are single. Probably almost as many have lovers or wives. As for the advantage: it is a quick and easy way to get off with no questions asked. The next time you get horny, ask yourself how convenient it would be if you could quickly find someone who would bring you pleasure on demandÐand not expect dinner, roses, or to be courted for weeks just to possibly have sex after all that time, money and effort.

GR: Do you prefer a certain type of guy to have sex with? Like, does age or race or size matter, or how about people from different areas?
Keith: Men are universally horny and most of them are available. A good cruiser learns to get over the concept that a guy is either straight or gay. Sex is much more complicated than these descriptions allow. My type, if I have one, is a man who is OK about his sex life
I tend to avoid those in relationships since I don't like to become part of a guy cheating on his partner. I tend to avoid virgins since I prefer a person who knows exactly what they need.

GR: What would be some advice you'd give to someone who's never been to a tea room but is interested?
Keith: I wouldn't go unless you are willing to deal with the risk of getting arrested and having your life ruined. That doesn't seem to stop most men, but in the U.S. you have a high price to pay. Most of us in the U.S. don't realize that prosecution of cruisers is not the norm in most other "Western" countries. Public sex is even protected in some places in Europe. In this country, we are way behind (Europe) in dealing with the complex needs and desires of humans.

For that guy who wants public sex, consider venturing first into a sex club or bathhouse or go to an adult video arcade. Those places are illegal for sex, as well, to some degree, but they are less scrutinized by cops than restrooms. In some places, arcades are also subjected to police sting operations. One can always follow the situation by keeping up to date through cruisingforsex.com. [ previous page ]