Dark room (sexuality)

Darkened room where sexual activity can take place

A dark room featuring a sling and glory hole

A dark room or darkroom – also known as a backroom, blackroom, or playroom – is a room, typically at a nightclub, sex club, bathhouse, or adult bookstore, where patrons of the business can engage in relatively discreet sexual activity.[1][2][3] Dark rooms usually have little or no lighting,[4] possibly incorporating blacklights or dim, colored lighting to establish an atmosphere of twilight and secrecy.

## Bars

[edit]

Dark rooms were common features of North American gay bars and clubs in the 1960s and 1970s, and can still be found in some bars and sex clubs.[3] A backroom in a gay bar is typically a small, very dark or dimly lit room at the back of the club where customers can go to have sex, usually without undressing.[4] Until the 1980s, backrooms were common in gay bars, and the sex that took place in them was typically unprotected and anonymous.[4] The AIDS epidemic led to the closing of many backrooms in gay bars, and other public sex venues.[5][6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Parsons, Vic (2 June 2019). "EastEnders' Ben Mitchell wants new gay bar to have dark room for sex". Retrieved 2019-06-23.
2. ^ Bollinger, Alex (2018-10-19). "Judge dismisses charges in a gay sex sting: A private room isn't a 'public place'". www.lgbtqnation.com. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
3. ^ a b "24 Public Places Where Gay Men Cruised". www.advocate.com. 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
4. ^ a b c "35 DOs and DON'Ts of a Gay Leather Bar". www.advocate.com. 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
5. ^ Juzwiak, Rich (21 September 2017). "The Slutty Resurgence of New York's Underground Gay Sex Parties". Jezebel. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
6. ^ Rankin, Bill. "Chief: Vice cops saw sex at gay bar". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.