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Abstract

Scholarly investigations of men's same-sex anonymous sexual encounters have traditionally focused on identifying such behaviors as deviant and/or dangers to public health. Scholars have examined the structure and processes of such interactions, and typically presented the cruising process as one characterized by silence and a reliance on non-verbal communications. Drawing on law enforcement and court documents pertaining to a sample of 127 cases of men arrested for cruising activities, this study highlights the role that verbal exchanges and conversation play in such endeavors. Findings reveal that silence is not a contextual norm and conversation serves multiple purposes in the activities of men seeking men for anonymous, public-location sexual activities.

Keywords

male same-sex relations sexuality verbal exchanges public locations anonymous sex cruising signaling law enforcement

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Conversation at the Erotic Oasis

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