Plains, February 2017I've dated or hooked up with men in 38 states and 20 countries, I've met them in art galleries, restaurants, museums, movie theaters, monasteries, doctor's offices, bookstores, comic book stores, department stores, bath houses, sex parties, bear parties, and on the street.
But tonight I'm going to try to meet men in a completely new and different place:
A straight bar.
For the first 55 years of my life, I never set foot in a straight bar, not even when I lived in Ohio and Upstate New York. You couldn't meet guys there -- you couldn't even check out the beefcake without angry rednecks yelling "What are you looking at?" And what if a woman tried to pick me up?
But on the Plains, there are no gay organizations except for a student club, no meeting places except the gay-friendly coffee house, which is not great for cruising. And Grinder is getting old, with the constant "Top me, Daddy!"
Besides, most of the gay men in town are "post-gay" -- fully assimilated into the straight world, with mostly straight friends, hanging out at straight venues. So, logically, where do they go to meet men?
Twice in a row, when I stopped into the Red Rock, the student bar-restaurant downtown, to grab a sandwich, I hooked up almost immediately -- without even trying! I can only imagine my success if I give it my best shot!
9:00 am Saturday
I haven't gone to a bar to cruise -- look for guys for dates or hookups -- for years. I remember many Saturday nights in West Hollywood, at Mugi, Basgo's, the Gold Coast, or the Faultline: blaring disco music, semi-darkness, the smell of cigarette smoke and poppers, of guys with beer bottles popping up from their crotches. The interview -- the grope -- the joy of getting that phone number. The agony of having the guy you like snatched away.
Giddy with anticipation, I spend most of the day preparing, checking every detail.
No sore throat, sinus problems, cold sores, or flatulence. No sex for at least 24 hours. Get a hair cut.Buy snacks and beverages to offer him.
Clean apartment. Change the sheets -- use the good ones. Hide the valuables. Jar of condoms and "trick towel" ready.
Research current events and the local sports team for conversation topics.
3:00 pm
The gym. No cardio. Blast the chest and biceps.
5:00 pm
Light dinner, mostly easy-to digest carbs. Shower, shave, mouthwash.
Cruising outfit: very tight black t-shirt, tight jeans, black shoes, leather jacket. Carry keys, breath mints, handkerchief, money, driver's license, pen for writing down phone number.
9:00 pm
Show time!
The full story, with nude photos and sexual situations, is on Tales of West Hollywood.