The many wonders of the Booths

 

 

On a more serious note, Today I was sitting at work reading a book while the shop was slow and I stopped briefly just to ponder what makes these men venture into the sub-culture really of spending time and hard earned money in these Adult store video arcades? Men of seemingly all walks of life, young,old and everything in between. From the young attractive , well dressed gay men to the disheveled lost souls of  washed up old queens and junkies. The “straight” blue collared working man looking to take a load off (Pun Intended?) to the Married man seeking something perhaps his wife will not deliver?

      Is it for the thrills? The thrill of not getting caught, The thrill of being watched, The thrill of the chase? Or is it just a routine they have fallen into after one good experience, Much like a drug addict looking to relive the feeling of their first high?

    Through the years I have spent behind the counter of porn shops tending to the customers and the regulars, I have honestly only had maybe two or three conversations with the booth goers on what it is about the booths and I really haven’t come across a solid answer as to what the intrigue or significance is. One gentleman I know is a older gay man who I have since befriended and he says that when he was younger,Gay men would frequent these arcades and use them as a meeting place since it was not as open of a world back then and gay men had to find safe places to mingle and hook up. So the darkened  halls of a porn shop became somewhat of a safe haven for them. Now times are much different and although it still is not necessarily easy for gay men to be out and about in public, It is world’s different and more accepting than it once was . At least in most major cities across the United States and I would like to assume the World for the most part. He said that for him and others of his generation some still frequent these places solely out of being creatures of habit and some refusal to adapt to the new fast paced world of social media and online dating, I guess if it ain’t broke don’t fix it is the mentality for these older fella’s. But what about the younger patrons? What kind of incentive do they have in frequenting the booths?

           A few days ago one of the regulars who comes in every Sunday morning and spends a large chuck of the afternoon sitting back in the arcade or pacing from room to room as if he were a solicitor trying to add more papers to his dying route. He left the arcade for a break and some fresh air, which I do not blame him. I only walk through the hall once an evening to make sure they are all clear and the smell of semen,Bleach,Body odor and shame is thick enough to make someone nauseous, and the air of despair and hot breath is so heavy it makes it humid to walk through. He went to grab a beverage and asked if I would like anything, I said sure if he would grab me a soda and when he returned he stood at the counter and chatted with me for a bit. Right away I could tell that this kid , not actually a kid at all just younger than I  , probably about 24-26 , short, slightly overweight and obviously a bit socially stunted just wanted someone to talk to. After a few short moments of pointless pleasantries  and small talk, I asked him why in an age of dating sites devoted to every Specific sexual orientation you can imagine and cell phone apps dedicated to random hook-up’s like “Grindr” , Not too mention a slew of social media sites would he choose to go to a sweaty, filth lodge like the booths of a porn shop. He said that he was newly out and that he fears rejection and game playing, He feared meeting someone who was not who they said they were or someone who wished ill will towards him through some elaborate scheme over the computer,Like someone setting up a meeting only to trap him and do physical harm to him for being gay. He said that the allure of the booths is that no one is there to play games and they are all there for the same common goal, Getting their rocks off , no questions , no strings, no drama. He went on to speak about how he felt that he wanted a real relationship but he has found that in the short time after “Coming out” that gay men are very catty and were nothing but problems, but he really wants a relationship. “Do you really think you are going to find love in a adult shop gloryhole?” I asked. To which he replied no, but he meets more “Straight” guys there and he does not like fem men. This sparked another debate between he and I in which I stated that I feel if a man engages in a sexual act with another man , whether he has a girlfriend or wife at home , that makes him gay, or at the very least Bi-sexual. There is a quote I heard once I it rings true to me, it goes something like this,  “You can build a million houses and suck one dick,and For the rest of your life you will be known as a cocksucker, not a carpenter.” He tried convincing me that it is not gay if a guy gets a blowjob from a gay man, to which I replied that I am straight and I would never allow a man to do that to me regardless of how bad I needed to get off nor how drunk I was, as I have heard quite a few guys try that as an excuse. I see nothing wrong with those that would , who someone chooses to sleep with is none of my concern and I think that love is a wonderful thing and if you find it with someone it doesn’t mean anymore or less if it is with someone of the same sex, but I just don’t have feelings for men , however  if I did then I would admit those feelings. I would not hide them and I would embrace it, Not try and convince myself otherwise in order to feel like more macho in doing so. He went on talking about the thrill of going down on straight men and at that point I knew there was no convincing him that these men were not in fact straight, they just had to convince themselves  thus-fore making them more of a man somehow. He said he has trouble finding “Mr.Right” , well buddy I promise you he is not behind door number 1 and Number 2 is just another guy living a lie as well, So don’t get your hopes up.

Between the married men,common working folk,washed up dreamboats,strapping young low rate gigolo’s and the non English speaking immigrants all have one common bond. They all speak the same language back there and that golden rule of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”, No matter how long I work in this industry and it is one I thoroughly enjoy working in, I will never quite understand the many wonders of the booths.

            On a daily basis I watch Married men go through that door into the dimly lit neon tinted halls passing shadowy figures of other men living secret lives. walking lies searching for a release, Lonely confused souls seeking refuge in the arms and lips of old queens looking to relive their glory days through glory holes. There is no love nor secrets shared beyond those sticky sweating walls. Perhaps that is the allure, the prize is in the passing nods and winks.The code names and secret handshakes shared when stumbling across a past experience in public. A sense of belonging to a hidden legion, An exclusive club, A shattered society .One the outside commoner and loved ones shall never know about. A men’s club if there ever was one.