Written by Masturbation Clubs: A Bit of History
Masturbation groups have existed for a long time and did not emerge suddenly, as is commonly believed, after the AIDS crisis made safer sex a necessity. Men have been gathering to masturbate in groups, large and small, long before written history began. It is very likely that it was once a natural element of nomadic and pre-agricultural humanity. Today, we organize these private clubs with a single purpose: to masturbate with other men.
“… These clubs originated during the seventies and were often a consequence of private parties organized by gay men who were masturbating. They invited others who shared this interest to orgies where there were no blowjobs or penetrative sex, just kissing, touching, and masturbation. The group expanded, called itself Jacks (i.e., 'those who masturbate') and attracted not only exhibitionists and men with large penises (especially members of the eight-inch club) but also those who were attracted to them. JO clubs soon became so full that they had to move their biweekly parties to large lofts.” (from The Joy of Gay Sex, third edition, 2002, by Silverstein and Picano).
It was in the 1970s that groups of gay men began to meet regularly for masturbation parties. As urban gay culture was expanding in the decade following Stonewall, masturbation groups appeared as just one of many niches in gay culture. It was only after the horrific revelations of 1981 that AIDS began to precipitate a new influx of men into JO clubs: men who were interested in group sex without the risk of disease. It was then that the term “safe sex” was coined.
Thus, there were two distinct main motivations for seeking out masturbation groups: a specific fetish or desire to masturbate with other men, and a search for safer alternatives among men who would otherwise choose riskier activities.
The first large organized groups of masturbators in the U.S. appeared in major cities, along with all the other cultural gay phenomena of the seventies. New York and San Francisco host the venerable Jacks clubs. They established the model that has been copied and spread worldwide since then.
Those two groups maintain a simple set of common rules: "No lips below the waist" and "Nothing goes inside anyone." These remain the core parameters of all traditional JO clubs that exist. We can masturbate together, touch each other, caress, kiss, and exhibit ourselves, but we never practice oral or anal sex in the group.
Masturbation is the defining activity of every JO club, as expressed in the words: “... Masturbation is the raison d'être of the club. Pajas entre Colegas is a gathering of men who wish their primary sexual outlet to be JO in the company of like-minded men…”
At first, curiosity seekers were discouraged. “One of the hottest aspects of our club is the reciprocity of interests that prevails. As proud as we are of our club, it is up to all of us to discourage visitors whose interest arises simply from curiosity... “ Those early feelings expressed by the original Masturbators came from a time when a wide variety of same-sex play options were widely available, and the men who truly engaged deeply in the scene imagined a kind of purity.
Of course, once members began to flood JO clubs as awareness of the low risk of disease transmission grew, those more elitist ideals gave way to a more open attitude, and new members were welcomed to develop a taste for safer sex rather than arriving with a well-developed mutual masturbation fetish.
As the dark days of AIDS faded into new treatments and prevention protocols, the fear of HIV diminished, while JO clubs continued to attract members as long as their organizers had the resources to host them.
Now, more than 35 years after that first club formally took the name "Jacks," the emphasis is once again on desire. Yes, many of us are legitimately motivated by the need to play as safely as possible, more and more members show up simply because they love to masturbate together and crave the friendly sexual play that they reliably find in the clubs. Singles, married, open or secret, of all races, ages, and sexual orientations, masturbation clubs attract men who fantasize about sharing masturbation and specifically appreciate and are satisfied with it.
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