Academics in the United Kingdom praised a group sex event in San Francisco, saying it provides “a protected space” for gay men, protecting “queer culture” from being “commercialized” by heterosexuals.
Campus Reform notes that “this follows a trend of American universities pushing nontraditional sexual behavior, such as the University of North Carolina publishing an interactive map featuring historical campus sites for anonymous gay sex. In December, a Penn State professor encouraged his straight students to ‘watch gay and lesbian porn’ to prove to students that ‘[w]e’re all, very much, easily bisexual.’”
Lindsey Gaston and Laura Dixon, two academics in a university in Liverpool, followed 15 gay group sex participants in a study last month called “Calling All Mares: Community, Identity, and Group Sex at the San Francisco Horse Market.”
All 15 men attended the San Francisco Horse Market, in which participants engage in organized group sex.
“Prior to the start of the event, participants select to be either a ‘mare’ (one that is penetrated/passive/bottom) or a ‘stallion’ (one that penetrates/active/top),” the study observes. Mares “arrive at the event location known as the ‘marketplace’ an hour before the arrival of the Stallions. When the Mares arrive, they are asked to select either a white or red cotton hood. The hood acts as a blindfold, preventing the Mare from seeing any of the Stallions.”
A white cotton hood indicates that the “mare” wishes to use a condom, while a red hood indicates that he will be rode “bareback,” having unprotected anal sex. Volunteers known as “Stable Hands” help to ensure that this rule is observed.
The name of the event is a toned-down version of the German Fickstutenmarkt, which means “F*****g Mares Market.” Other countries have similar events: England has “horse fairs” and Canada has “rough stock roundups.”
In the study, the academics used testimonies from the event’s website. That website adds that it “is not possible to change roles once the market begins”, but any person who “identifies” as a male can participate. Participants
told explicit tales of their sexual activity at the event. “I can hear the thumping of electronic dance music bouncing off the walls, yet my ears are more so drowned out by the sounds of sex: over 200 guys moaning, grunting, and coming in unison like one amorphous sexual being,” stated another participant.
The researchers concluded that the event was a positive thing for participants.
“As heterosexuals frequent gay spaces (bars, clubs, and Pride events) and traditonal forms of queer culture (drag) are commercialized and consumed by non-queer audiences, the Horse Market provides a protected space only for gay men doing what makes them gay; participating, that is, in sex with other men,” researchers said.
Portland State University promoted polyamory and BDSM (as well as vibrators, dildos, and ‘Chicanx sexuality”)
A “queer polyamorous neurodivergent woman” teaches a college workshop on “ethical non-monogamy.”
Sex weeks are common at colleges. In 2022, during Harvard’s Sex Week, that university held a demonstration on painting “Pussy Portraits.” At an earlier Harvard Sex Week, students attended a BDSM demonstration which employed “whips, rope bondage and some floggers with different flogging techniques.”
Colleges have also held events such as “Queering Menstruation” and “Anal 101.”
Cornell University has a class teaching “Queer Marxism.”
Wellesley College is offering a “Queer Bible” course as part of its Jewish Studies program,. It provides an “introduction to the Bible at the intersection of queer theory, biblical interpretation, and the historical study of the ancient Middle East.” Colleges have also offered courses on “Queering God” and “How To Be A Bitch.”
