The (R)Evolution of the Bath House (a.k.a. 1 night in Folsom Prison)

Members of my generation have all heard stories of the swinging 60s
and 70s, pre-AIDS, a virtual sexual wonderland where you could have it
all and actually get away with it. Nothing was off limits, nothing
sacred, secret, or taboo. Free love (sex), orgies, and Gay Liberation
all marked the beginning of the sexual and queer revolution; every gay
guy has heard the myth of the bath house, but how many have actually
experienced this?

I know living in San Francisco is living in a bubble- where else can a
man go outside AS WELL AS go through his entire day wearing a dress,
and not have to be completely concerned with defending himself from
attack? I guess that's why I love living in San Francisco, there's a
plethora of drugs of every type ( I don't do drugs) and the sex
industry is alive and booming (I'm not a sex worker).

Everyone calls San Francisco "The Human City" and over time, I've come
to experience this to be true. San Francisco is unapologetically
actual- bringing the whole world to terms with reality and leading
everyone into the next century and the age of human ideas. I have
always felt safe here, maybe that's what makes me stay (it's obviously
not the weather).

I'm digressing. As I have gotten older, over time and through the
eventual diffusion of knowledge, I've realized that the bath house
lifestyle of yesteryear is still alive and well? I mean to say perhaps
that the scene is still around, but not as out in the open as it ought
to be! I've stumbled upon several men only sex clubs, they're all
clandestine, small urban bungalows dispersed among a community who
attends, subsequently supporting the small industry created around the
sex clubs. Blame San Francisco, and its willingness to embrace sex of
any kind.

I'm glad that these people are here, I would go to any end to defend
people's right to fuck in sex clubs (even though I choose to not go
there myself). In fact, I think people should be fucking out on the
streets and in the open all the for the whole world to see. Everyone
is frigid, there will never be anything wrong or dirty about sex,
inhibition is the result of evil entities such as christianity and
their epic battle against reality. Everyone is at heart, both a voyeur
and an exhibitionist at the same time- it's called being human, it's
stupid to try and pretend otherwise.

I mean, isn't it a fact that comprehensive sexuality education is
STILL left out of public schools, creating SO many problems for the
younger generation, such as homophobia, sexual dysfunctions, stds,
stis, rape, sexual abuse, and teen pregnancy?

I'd like to take a second to remind people that safe sex is still so
important. Everyone has HPV at this point (myself included), and it
really sucks! The government purposefully kept Guardasil out of the
reach in the united states, so again, blame bush for the problems that
our generation inherits. Sex can still kill people, there is no cure
for AIDS, even though it could be quickly and efficiently cured using
stem cells (they would basically grow the infected person a new immune
system over night) but the government wants gay people to die- the
reality of the situation.

As a result, I'm very interested in sex especially from a
socio-anthropological perspective, because queer stories haven't been
written, and they really need to be told- open, honest, and upfront.
The responsibility falls on me to document/archive this information,
so it never gets lost. Maybe someday I'll get thanked, but I'm not
holding my breath. I'm probably so fascinated by sex because it was so
foreign to me for so long (because I didn't receive the comprehensive
sexuality education that I should have) also, studying sexuality from
a biological perspective only serves to solidify its importance (to
the cycle of life). As for me, I plan on living forever and breaking
the cycle of life, but again I'm digressing.

There's a small sex club by the End Up, if you walk through the SOMA
at night, there's a huge chance that you'll run into something after a
while, just look for a small out of the way door through which one can
see nothing. The first time I went into Mack Folsom Prison
(www.mackfolsomprison.com) on 9th/Folsom I was amazed to see how small
it was! I was hoping for a huge auditorium full of hundreds of hot
naked men all fucking or ready to fuck, with porn, sex toys, and
sexcessories (sex accessories) all over the place. It's weird the way
that places and setting never look the way one would expect.

Inside, there were monitors everywhere with porn all over them (not
the kind of porn I would invest in because porn is so god damned
expensive, but still). There were random set ups for role playing such
as glory holes, slings, dungeons, and other fun stuff. They had a
corner with showers mimicking a gym scene; inevitably what is most
appealing the fact that you can see whatever you want, starring
whoever you want (however, it's regulated to the people who actually
want to fuck there) so basically freaks of all shapes and sizes can
live out all their fantasies in a safe, secure setting, and this
setting should be there to help people. Thank you sex clubs, for
everything that you do for us.

I would like to talk for a minute about the scat tub, and also confirm
that there are some things that even I won't do. The first time I saw
shit porn I was in high school-it doesn't get me off, but I am
fascinated by it to no end. Back then and even now I've basically seen
everything that is even possible to do played out on camera (I often
want to know more personal information about the people who are
willing to do some things, but again, I digress). Almost anything
taboo is fascinating to me, especially when it comes to sexual
paraphilias (sexual arousal or orgasm dependent upon a sexual practice
that is outside of social norms) I can't get enough! So, Mack Folsom
Prison has a scat tub, and people get in it and get shit on, and get
off on it. I guess they get off on on that shit! lol. Too bad words
can't be expressive like words are, no tonation = less expression. I
mean, it was just one tub, but it was still there.

Opps, I don't know why I ended talking about shit when I really wanted
to talk about hot gay sex. I'm delighted that SF is just one of so
many metropolitan cities (of the interior), all of whom have a
beautiful historical and contemporary queer culture (and impact) on
the world and peoples' lives.