Gay Men and the Benefits of Visiting Gay Sex Clubs

This chapter is based on the stories of numerous gay men describing their experiences of visiting gay sex clubs. The majority of the literature on casual sexual behaviours focuses on sexual health risks and problematises those behaviours, leaving a major gap in discussing the numerous potential benefits of engaging in such sexual activities. There is a dearth of research on gay men’s experiences of visiting gay sex clubs; therefore, in this chapter, the author reports on anecdotes directly from the people’s voices. This chapter does not intend to minimise the problems and risks that can occur with casual sex in sex clubs, but it seeks to put forth some important factors of well-being that are often dismissed, unacknowledged, or even ignored. Although this chapter is not about clinical practice per se, it is relevant for clinicians working with sexual compulsivity because it can help with developing more nuanced thinking on the benefits of those behaviours rather than automatically pathologising them.