Disclaimer: I have no formal psychological training but have been interested by the outdoor sex phenomenon for some decades now as applicable to Jamaican MSM experiences. I also decided to drop this one here as entries of this nature would be seen on Gay Jamaica Watch but due to the urgent legal matters that are at hand GJW will be hosting those posts only for now.
This entry is not about the typical standing on or walking by a street corner or plaza in some city centre and employing ones gaydar to catch poon tangs that is easy and comes natural for some of us but this is about the masculine grizzly targeted thug hunting experience in a specific geographical zone complete with musk, grit, grime, industrial wasteland or green spaces (green grass hotel), sweat, pheromones, no deep emotions, non feminized elements and importantly un-attachment for that quick release of virulent pent up sexual desire in the end however short the time of contact. Some time ago when I last looked at sections of the outdoor cruising communities and sub groups under the MSM umbrella I noticed that some members were bitterly complaining that their haunting grounds were overtaken by the preponderance of homeless or displaced MSM who do not necessarily cruise in this specific sense especially from the New Kingston and Seymour Lands areas and beyond to the outskirts of Old Hope Roads when the homeless groups occupied illegally lands and houses but have since been removed by the local authorities namely the parish council with the aid of the police. Also see: Robbers target male hookers
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The Jamaica Observer Clovis cartoon depiction of the problematic homeless MSM scenario relocated to the Barbican area, the online version from their website was removed following some complaints but I managed to get it scanned from my hardcopy edition of May 31, 2013, the paper has been in love hate relationship sorts ever since their first coverage of the matter when the men launched an attack at the former JASL/JFLAG offices August 23/4, 2011: MORE HERE and HERE
The men now located at a house in the Millsborough area for now as the caretaker there has insisted that they have to leave as the situation has become untenable the proper response to that issue is still forthcoming from the relevant agencies. With the migratory pattern occurring that has not helped any the comfort somewhat of the cruisers who before when the homeless MSM were far less in numbers and more docile coexisted peacefully often overlapping as commercial sexual arrangements would sometimes result if the cruisers were not making any headway for sexual pleasure via their modus operandi.
Now it seems the bemoaning the loss of “space” continues as they are still limited to a certain quadrant in the New Kingston area added to that the other zones are limited or have since become unworkable as recent public incidents have impacted their usage and safety. Case in point is a matter of two alleged partnered masturbators who were caught in the act some three weeks ago in downtown proper at an old haunt for generations by a man who eventually called attention to the issue, the men one allegedly a handcart operator made good their escape however but not afterwards the authorities were somehow notified and the area bushed, rubble removed and cleared so as to avoid any further “batty business” thugs were apparently ordered to or hired to watch the area for now.
That particular spot down-town and other older ruins have had incidents prior and as posted here as well but it seems to always been able to recover despite major physical changes made to it and has been used for generations of cruisers as a haunt, heterosexuals also use the area for the occasional sexual encounters and a few female commercial sex workers/substance users also operate in the area by day, they were aware of the shenanigans that took place there but it is a symbiotic relationship it seems according to my cruiser source, the men are not a threat to their business since the cruisers would stay clear when met with such hetero circumstances and vice versa.
That particular spot down-town and other older ruins have had incidents prior and as posted here as well but it seems to always been able to recover despite major physical changes made to it and has been used for generations of cruisers as a haunt, heterosexuals also use the area for the occasional sexual encounters and a few female commercial sex workers/substance users also operate in the area by day, they were aware of the shenanigans that took place there but it is a symbiotic relationship it seems according to my cruiser source, the men are not a threat to their business since the cruisers would stay clear when met with such hetero circumstances and vice versa.
The groups would also exchange information and safer sex implements when available among other socializations. The old industrial factory space seems to be an irresistible attraction for men whether on the down low cruisers or commercial sex workers as the masculinity of the environment seems to be the draw card. In speaking to one of the senior more experiences cruisers who has assisted me before in examining this issue of cruising in Kingston he said that the place just has a thing to it that he has to go to see if any men are there and according to him there is often time someone there, if not a new face then some regular. What is the draw card to me especially for far younger users or cruisers is puzzling, how do they know instinctively that that spot is for sexual connections (usually non penetrative or outer-coursal activity) is baffling, gaydar perhaps? The physical outlay of the area seems a major qualification for such a pull of these persons and subsequent sexual activity I can recall some years ago an old rice factory in Spanish Town as well (now turned the JUTC bus park) that attracted men from all over I took particular interest in the phenomenon then as it became a sight for my HIV outreach work with men who have sex with men and it was there I realized we were dealing with a totally different set of variables and practices not covered by the HIV response at all. Often times these are men with normalised lives, girlfriends, “babymothers,” even wives or just homo curious recluse who use unusual short impact sexual contact as release it seems so as to avoid too much personal contact and invasion of their psychological space. The impersonal nature of the contact, no possibility of emotional traces, the intense physical satisfaction and thrill of the hunt in doing it in public but not getting caught are also factors that I have come to understand, a kind of utilitarianism. This is of course outside of persons who do not have the convenience at their place of residence for open consensual same sex intimacy.
I will admit I too have passed through the area in Kingston for a haunt or two but it is not really my cup of tea but one thing is clear all kinds of characters are there surprisingly, some even look like your typical homophobe if seen in another setting and these are not the same populations of men one as experienced as I am see in the LGBT social scene nor in other so called cruising zones as well. This leads me to think that there are many other males though not self identifying as homosexual who prefer this kind of urban discreet rugged outdoor contact for that quickie as a release. I prefer to approach thug types in their own spaces as I have developed my skills at reading them and know the ones to avoid or to approach even when they are homo-curious or bisexual. Anal penetrative sex is not usually the chosen type of contact in outdoor spaces such as this I learnt over the years during my HIV outreach work as safety and ease of escape if discovered is crucial so less tedious activity is chosen that won’t involve removal of clothing that may impede such escape if found or caught by an unsuspecting person who may use the area to also to urinate or defecate.
I will admit I too have passed through the area in Kingston for a haunt or two but it is not really my cup of tea but one thing is clear all kinds of characters are there surprisingly, some even look like your typical homophobe if seen in another setting and these are not the same populations of men one as experienced as I am see in the LGBT social scene nor in other so called cruising zones as well. This leads me to think that there are many other males though not self identifying as homosexual who prefer this kind of urban discreet rugged outdoor contact for that quickie as a release. I prefer to approach thug types in their own spaces as I have developed my skills at reading them and know the ones to avoid or to approach even when they are homo-curious or bisexual. Anal penetrative sex is not usually the chosen type of contact in outdoor spaces such as this I learnt over the years during my HIV outreach work as safety and ease of escape if discovered is crucial so less tedious activity is chosen that won’t involve removal of clothing that may impede such escape if found or caught by an unsuspecting person who may use the area to also to urinate or defecate.
They tend to go for partnered masturbation or solo masturbation while watching another male either masturbate also unbeknownst to them being seen or if another should urinate the proverbial glory hole type voyeurism but in an outdoor scenario. Oral/anal activity may occur such as rimming if convenient my cruiser friend advised me that he often heard of some men carrying a bottle of water on their persons for a quick enema which is not surprising as many male commercial sex workers do so as well to make themselves presentable to their clients, sadly the HIV response locally is yet to move progressively to make fleet and other such types of implements available and indeed engage these sub groups under the MSM label.
Scatting and such practices do not factor here in Jamaica although the site as indicated earlier is used as a bathroom since the public restrooms charge for usage so persons avoid them.
Exhibitionists also pass through occasionally according to my trusted senior cruiser friend (who also still wants me and him to hookup) but they come few in between for open masturbation usually alone but more so after a shower or rain when less passers-by are around but enough persons to give them the drive to publicly masturbate seeing that is their urge and incessant need sexually speaking. The two aforementioned partnered masturbators were said to be frequent pass-throughs and my cruiser contact seems still concerned of how they got caught, he even speculates that maybe another would be cruiser may have been upset at the two pairing and not himself being a partner to the act.
In early 2011 that entire section in downtown was bulldozed I can recall under the then Jamaica Labour Party JLP administration when a certain mayoral candidate was around as the area falls in the constituency of that party and some years prior to that a nude handcart man was found dead in the vicinity the cause of death was not clear but a newspaper report suggested he was raped as tests revealed anal trauma. The once vibrant Emancipation Park area in New Kingston that was also a haunt prior to its construction and which attracted persons even after it became a public thoroughfare seems to have lost its fervour. Vendors, police patrols and car parking have since crowded the spot and the occasional exhibitionist as well are not so prevalent any more as an amusement park sits across the street attracting many children, exhibitionist have a particular aversion to carrying out there act in front of children which also is another mystery to me psychologically speaking although it makes some sense as they are not paedophiles so prepubescent persons would not fit their intended profile for near public erotic exposure.
Some questions come to mind some of which I have asked before I believe;
What would attract this set of MSM to these outdoor spots?
Why do they not also social on the main LGBTQ scenes?
Outdoor sex implies an element of danger hence the attractiveness of it?
Why is effeminacy not a prominent trait in this group of MSM?
Is hyper-masculinity or forced masculinization (including aesthetics) a means of protection in these outdoor spaces to avoid profiling or suspicion?
Another incident that came to hand was in western Jamaica by a certain beach front stretch this time however penetrative sex was involved both persons just barely escaped the doom as men swooped down on the unsuspecting couple who were allegedly in high ecstasy while making love. While not a direct cruising matter it was only this month I posted on GLBTQJA of a male couple in St Catherine who had to flee their community after being caught in the act by the grandmother of one who arrived unannounced. Such are the challenges that sometimes cause persons to seek alternate outdoor secret arrangements to compensate for lack of space apart from the other attractive reasons relative to the individuals involved. In that same post I also examined a previous incident in the same parish by a man made water course where a partnered-masturbating male couple were caught and the police also got involved to literally save them from a thrashing from an angry mob that converged after the men swam to safety and retreated in bushes on the opposite side of the canal.
Such are the risks with hook-ups and outdoor cruising but with all those issues persons still seem drawn to the practice/phenomenon I guess an old English adage the closer you are to danger the further you are from harm has some resonance in this somewhere as who would often suspect raunchy illicit sex in open spaces quite unexpectedly? After all female commercial sex workers also use this form of hiding right under your nose ideology too, many of them do engage clients in car parks and inside motor vehicle unbeknownst to passers-by as one would never suspect that activity to close by. Parts of Central Park in New York comes to mind despite police patrols and a vagrancy law I believe but men hook up none the less, France for example has red zones where outdoor sex is allowed undisturbed be it homosexual or heterosexual and the infamous bathroom glory hole cruising is a special feature of French gay male culture. Many Jamaicans who go or now live there have told me the erotic stories. Amsterdam is noted for these zones as well married with open substance use as well whether Jamaica will ever get to this kind of progressive thinking is left to be seen seeing that policing homosexuality is still a major priority in the face of the disease control, The religious/biblical fundamentalist anti-homosexuality imperative; protecting vulnerable youth from homosexuality, as conflated with paedophilia; the imperative of the ‘unnaturalness’ of homosexuality and the imperative of the purity and authenticity of a primordially homosexuality-free global African culture all of which drive our entrenched or hardened positions towards male homosexuality in particular. If we can’t even get passed just making same sex intimacy private for consenting adults on the face of a “keep it to yourself” public sentiments then how are we going to allow some unconventional personal freedoms (though not impeding others) in public spaces?
Sex; we seek it, we enjoy it how some go about it may be unconventional at least bizarre at best but it’s the human condition I guess, after all if we did not have buildings to contend with we may have all been doing it in the bushes.
Peace and tolerance
H
Some cruising challenges .......... 2011
Doing 'business' in New Kingston ...
The Cruising community’s dilemma .....
Fame FM's "Uncensored" on Piercings, Men fighting ...
Thugs caught lovemaking forced to flee for their lives 2013
Down low gone mad, Biphobia, or Sexual Abuse?
Scatting and such practices do not factor here in Jamaica although the site as indicated earlier is used as a bathroom since the public restrooms charge for usage so persons avoid them.
Exhibitionists also pass through occasionally according to my trusted senior cruiser friend (who also still wants me and him to hookup) but they come few in between for open masturbation usually alone but more so after a shower or rain when less passers-by are around but enough persons to give them the drive to publicly masturbate seeing that is their urge and incessant need sexually speaking. The two aforementioned partnered masturbators were said to be frequent pass-throughs and my cruiser contact seems still concerned of how they got caught, he even speculates that maybe another would be cruiser may have been upset at the two pairing and not himself being a partner to the act.
In early 2011 that entire section in downtown was bulldozed I can recall under the then Jamaica Labour Party JLP administration when a certain mayoral candidate was around as the area falls in the constituency of that party and some years prior to that a nude handcart man was found dead in the vicinity the cause of death was not clear but a newspaper report suggested he was raped as tests revealed anal trauma. The once vibrant Emancipation Park area in New Kingston that was also a haunt prior to its construction and which attracted persons even after it became a public thoroughfare seems to have lost its fervour. Vendors, police patrols and car parking have since crowded the spot and the occasional exhibitionist as well are not so prevalent any more as an amusement park sits across the street attracting many children, exhibitionist have a particular aversion to carrying out there act in front of children which also is another mystery to me psychologically speaking although it makes some sense as they are not paedophiles so prepubescent persons would not fit their intended profile for near public erotic exposure.
Some questions come to mind some of which I have asked before I believe;
What would attract this set of MSM to these outdoor spots?
Why do they not also social on the main LGBTQ scenes?
Outdoor sex implies an element of danger hence the attractiveness of it?
Why is effeminacy not a prominent trait in this group of MSM?
Is hyper-masculinity or forced masculinization (including aesthetics) a means of protection in these outdoor spaces to avoid profiling or suspicion?
Another incident that came to hand was in western Jamaica by a certain beach front stretch this time however penetrative sex was involved both persons just barely escaped the doom as men swooped down on the unsuspecting couple who were allegedly in high ecstasy while making love. While not a direct cruising matter it was only this month I posted on GLBTQJA of a male couple in St Catherine who had to flee their community after being caught in the act by the grandmother of one who arrived unannounced. Such are the challenges that sometimes cause persons to seek alternate outdoor secret arrangements to compensate for lack of space apart from the other attractive reasons relative to the individuals involved. In that same post I also examined a previous incident in the same parish by a man made water course where a partnered-masturbating male couple were caught and the police also got involved to literally save them from a thrashing from an angry mob that converged after the men swam to safety and retreated in bushes on the opposite side of the canal.
Such are the risks with hook-ups and outdoor cruising but with all those issues persons still seem drawn to the practice/phenomenon I guess an old English adage the closer you are to danger the further you are from harm has some resonance in this somewhere as who would often suspect raunchy illicit sex in open spaces quite unexpectedly? After all female commercial sex workers also use this form of hiding right under your nose ideology too, many of them do engage clients in car parks and inside motor vehicle unbeknownst to passers-by as one would never suspect that activity to close by. Parts of Central Park in New York comes to mind despite police patrols and a vagrancy law I believe but men hook up none the less, France for example has red zones where outdoor sex is allowed undisturbed be it homosexual or heterosexual and the infamous bathroom glory hole cruising is a special feature of French gay male culture. Many Jamaicans who go or now live there have told me the erotic stories. Amsterdam is noted for these zones as well married with open substance use as well whether Jamaica will ever get to this kind of progressive thinking is left to be seen seeing that policing homosexuality is still a major priority in the face of the disease control, The religious/biblical fundamentalist anti-homosexuality imperative; protecting vulnerable youth from homosexuality, as conflated with paedophilia; the imperative of the ‘unnaturalness’ of homosexuality and the imperative of the purity and authenticity of a primordially homosexuality-free global African culture all of which drive our entrenched or hardened positions towards male homosexuality in particular. If we can’t even get passed just making same sex intimacy private for consenting adults on the face of a “keep it to yourself” public sentiments then how are we going to allow some unconventional personal freedoms (though not impeding others) in public spaces?
Sex; we seek it, we enjoy it how some go about it may be unconventional at least bizarre at best but it’s the human condition I guess, after all if we did not have buildings to contend with we may have all been doing it in the bushes.
Peace and tolerance
H
also see:
The Cruising community’s dilemma .....
Down low gone mad, Biphobia, or Sexual Abuse?
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