Friday, September 26, 2008

Public Sex

Public sex entails either a sexual act or intercourse done in a public environment or engaging in a sexual act or intercourse with the intent of people seeing the performance. Mostly, people engage in public sex because the risk of getting caught causes a rush of adrenaline that adds to the arousal surrounding the sexual act. According to the book Who’s Been Sleeping in Your Head by British psychoanalyst Brett Kahr, having sex in a public setting is a common fantasy. In fact, an Elle-MSNBC.com survey shows that 22 percent of Americans had performed or received a sexual act in public during the preceding year. Whether on college campuses or New York City streets, the long-standing practice of public sex has found its forum on internet blogs and websites that urge people to document their own tales and sightings of people having sex in public.
While public sex is one of the most common fantasies, it seems it appeals more to certain demographics. New York magazine recently explored the popularity of public sex in New York City versus less populated or more conservative cities. One interviewee noted that most of the city’s inhabitants are “young, liberal, horny, relatively well off and frequently drunk,” calling this the “recipe for public sex” and a possible explanation for the frequency of public sex in NYC (nymag.com). While this logic certainly seems to extend to the college student demographic, the notion of public sex as a rite of passage would also explain the tendency for younger people to have sex in public. However, to assume that public sex is an act limited to the drunk and the daring ignores the other reasons why people engage in public sex. The excitement that comes with either the risk of getting caught or getting away with the act, having a public audience for a private act, or giving into the moment regardless of the local are often anecdotal reasons explaining why people have sex in public - no matter the demographic.
On the spectrum of good sex versus bad sex, public sex would fall under the category as bad sex for the lewdness of the act could offend bystanders who classify it as indecent exposure. However, the interpretation of public sex as a form of “bad sex” largely relies on the cultural attitudes and personal perception towards the act and the people involved. For example, Amsterdam police recently proposed the idea to allow sex in all Dutch parks, including the most popular public park in Amsterdam, Vondelpark. While owners of dogs let off the leash could potentially be fined, sex will be tolerated as long as it does not take place near children’s playgrounds, condoms are cleared away, and it takes place during the evening or nighttime. The Amsterdam police believe that this will allow the gay population that participates in “cruising,” or searching for sexual partners in public areas, more protection from gay bashers (nisnews.com). While it is difficult to imagine that the same idea would be popular with the general public in cities across America, it seems that public sex is tolerated for the simple fact that there is not a large-scale movement against the act. While it may be considered “bad sex,” it does not hamper people’s attraction to or participation in public sex.

0 comments :