Squirt.org

In 1998, Pink Triangle Press launched Squirt.org,[1] which describes itself as a website "where men meet other men for sex, cruising, hookups, dating, fun and friendship."[2] The website based in Toronto, Canada but is available worldwide and includes user-generated listings for parks, saunas, public toilets and popular sex locations for men who have sex with men (MSM).[3][4] The site was described as "unique and ideal for cruising world-wide" by the 2006 Spartacus International Gay Guide.[5]

The website has attracted controversy due to its supposed promotion of illegal activity, and municipal police branches in some juristrictions have been known to have "vice units" monitor websites such as Squirt.org.[6] Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell says that the listings and postings on the website make people "easy targets", and "brings the places to the attention of people who would be prepared to close them down".[7] Increased sexual activities in public toilets (cottaging) due to their listing on the website have caused facilities close in the United Kingdom[8] and Australia.[9][10]

The website also is used by and facilitates a large number of male prostitutes (escorts).[11][12] Although the website does not cater specifically to the barebacking subculture, the prevalence and popularity of this practise, as well as the ability to seek out others for unprotected sex on the website, has led it to be used in STI and HIV/AIDS research and outreach,[13][14] as well as research on "hookup" sites for MSM. The website itself has co-operated with HIV/AIDS outreach programs, which have provided sexual health information to its users.[15]

Campaigns and controversy

The site's 2015 "Non-Stop Cruising" campaign sparked backlash in Dallas, Texas after complaints were received over the billboard, which featured three ethnically diverse men embracing.[16] In September 2015, the Toronto Transit Commission decided to remove ads for the website from their subway trains after riders complained that the website promoted illegal sexual activity.[17] In defense of the company, Attilla Szatmari (digital business director for Pink Triangle Press) stated that the sites postings for public sex were completely user-generated.[18]

Its adverts have been removed from bus stops in Cardiff, Wales in 2016, following claims they were inappropriate; in response, Szatmari said "Our ads have been approved by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) and we've been adhering to those guidelines completely", and that the backlash to their advertisements "raises numerous questions on sexuality, discrimination, and obscenity".[19]

Although the website's terms of service state that users need to be 18 years old to join,[20] it is sometimes used by underage children. In 2017 in the United States, a 60-year-old man who met a 13-year-old boy on the website was arrested for sexual assault.[21]

In 2018, the website came out in opposition to the Trump administration's view of LGBT rights, using the slogan "Make America Gay Again" (a parody of Make America Great Again, Trump's campaign slogan) on posters throughout Los Angeles and New York City to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump. Szatmari said "LGBT rights are in question with the incoming Trump administration which has vigorously campaigned to roll back many of the rights that protect these communities."[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ GuideLive Staff (1 April 2015). "Gay sex cruising app puts billboard up in Dallas". GuideLive. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Squirt.org stands for gay cruising, hookups, dating and more". Squirt.org. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Damron Travel Company (November 2005). Damron Men's Travel Guide. Damron. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-929435-55-8.
  4. ↑ Fountain, Tim (2008). Rude Britannia: One Man's Journey Around the Highways and Bi-ways of British Sex. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-297-85262-9.
  5. ↑ Spartacus International Gay Guide. Spartacus. 2006. p. 1060.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Paul; Dalton, Derek (31 May 2012). Policing Sex. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN 1-136-32315-5.
  7. ↑ Knowles, Katherine (1 September 2006). "Cruising at the British Library". PinkNews. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  8. ↑ McAteer, Oliver (25 February 2016). "Public loos close after bearded man in wedding dress asks for sex". Metro. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Pandaram, Jamie (30 October 2006). "Gay sex forces closure of store toilets". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  10. ↑ Power, Shannon (25 July 2017). "Public toilets set to be demolished after too much 'beat activity'". Gay Star News. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  11. ↑ Evans, Robert; James, Ryan; Anonymous (16 September 2015). "6 Things We Learned As Legal Male Prostitutes". Cracked.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  12. ↑ Kumar, Navin; Minichiello, Victor; Scott, John; Harrington, Taylor (28 November 2016). "A Global Overview of Male Escort Websites". Journal of Homosexuality. 64 (12): 1731–1744. doi:10.1080/00918369.2016.1265356. ISSN 0091-8369. (Subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Klein, Hugh (22 October 2014). "Generationing, Stealthing, and Gift Giving: The Intentional Transmission of HIV by HIV-Positive Men to their HIV-Negative Sex Partners". Health Psychology Research. 2 (3). doi:10.4081/hpr.2014.1582. ISSN 2420-8124. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Halse, Matthew (7 October 2013). "Biohazards and the Queer Sexual Imagination". The Word Hoard. 1 (2): 19. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  15. ↑ Sandstra, Irvine Laurent; Gold, Fiona; Jones, Elaine; Harris, Paul; Taylor, Darlene (June 2008). "Cyber Outreach: STI/HIV education online". The Canadian Nurse. 104 (6): 24. Retrieved 7 October 2018. (Subscription required (help)).
  16. ↑ "Billboard Advertising Gay Hookup Site Squirt.org Sparks Controversy In Dallas: VIDEO - Towleroad". Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  17. ↑ "Ads for gay dating service Squirt.org removed from the TTC". Metro News. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  18. ↑ "TTC orders gay dating site's ads removed". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  19. ↑ Mosalski, Ruth (10 February 2016). "Gay cruising site in 'discrimination' claim over bus stop ads axe". Wales Online. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  20. ↑ "Read the 'Terms and Conditions' before registering". Squirt.org. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  21. ↑ Hogan, John (5 September 2017). "60-year-old who met boy on 'hook-up site' gets prison for sexual assault". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "Trump, 'Let's Make America Gay Again'". The Vital Voice. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2018.

Further reading

  • Mowlabocus, Sharif (22 April 2016). Gaydar Culture: Gay Men, Technology and Embodiment in the Digital Age. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-13087-1.
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