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The design of public lavatories like this one in Pond Square, London, may be the origin of the term "cottaging".

Cottaging is a gay slang term referring to anonymous male-male sex in a public lavatory (a cottage or tea-room), or to the practice of cruising for sexual partners in public lavatories with the intention of having sex elsewhere. The term may have its roots in the English cant language of Polari, or in the fact that many self-contained English toilet blocks have in the past resembled small cottages in their appearance. Look up cottage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Gay slang or LGBT slang in linguistics refers to a form of English slang used predominantly among LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. ... It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ... Flush toilet A toilet is a plumbing fixture devised for the disposal of bodily wastes, including urine, feces, methane, semen and vomit. ... Cruising for sex, or cruising, describes the act of walking or driving about a locality in pursuit of a partner for (often quick and anonymous) sex. ... Cant is an example of a cryptolect, a characteristic or secret language used only by members of a group, often used to conceal the meaning from those outside the group. ... Polari (or alternatively Parlare, Parlary, Palarie, Palari, Parlyaree[1], from Italian parlare, to talk) was a form of cant slang used in the gay subculture in Britain. ...

The term "cottage" used in this sense is predominantly British (a cottage in the usual sense being a small, cosy, countryside home), though the term is occasionally used with the same meaning in other parts of the world. Among gay men in America, lavatories used for this purpose are called tea rooms;^[1] in Australia, such venues are called beats because men get beaten off ! 19th century Cottages in the small hamlet of Crafton, Buckinghamshire For other uses, see Cottage (disambiguation). ... North American redirects here. ... For tea rooms used in Japanese tea ceremony, see Japanese tea house The gallery in The Willow Tearooms. ... In Australia, the term beat is used to refer to an area frequented by gay men cruising for casual sex, and where sexual acts occur. ...

In 1970, an American graduate student at Washington University, Laud Humphreys published a famous and highly controversial PhD dissertation^[2] on the "tearoom" phenomenon, attempting to categorize the diverse social backgrounds and personal motives of the men who seek out homosexual contact in public venues like mutual masturbation , fellatio and sometimes fisting ! Washington University in St. ... Laud Humphreys (October 16, 1930 - August 23, 1988) is an American sociologist and author. ...

Cottaging is more common among gay and bisexual men than among lesbians or heterosexuals, but the term can apply to the actions of people of both sexes, and all sexual orientations. However, equivalent activity by heterosexuals is, in the United Kingdom, known as dogging.^[3] GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Bisexual redirects here. ... This article is about same-sex desire and sexuality among women. ... Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by esthetic attraction, romantic love or sexual desire exclusively for members of the opposite sex or gender, contrasted with homosexuality and distinguished from bisexuality and asexuality. ... Sexual orientation refers to the direction of an individuals sexuality, usually conceived of as classifiable according to the sex or gender of the persons whom the individual finds sexually attractive. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ...

The term cottaging is rarely used outside gay communities, and usage and awareness of the term may be in decline, as attitudes to homosexuality become more tolerant and fewer individuals find themselves limited to such covert and illicit ways of meeting others.

Cottages before gay liberation

Before the explosion of the gay liberation movement in 1969, cottages were almost the only places that gays too young to get into bars (i.e., in most jurisdictions, those under the age of 21) could meet other gays that they knew for sure to be gay, since in those days almost all homophiles were in the closet and there were no public gay social groups whatsoever for those under 21. Gay Liberation (or Gay Lib) is the name used to describe the radical lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s in North America, Western Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. ... Also: 1969 (number) 1969 (movie) 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... For the song Gay Bar by Electric Six, see Electric Six. ... Cover of French homophile literary journal Arcadie, 1975 The word homophile is an alternative to the word homosexual, preferred by some because it emphasizes love (-phile from Greek φιλία) over sex. ... For other uses, see Coming out (disambiguation). ...

Locations of cottages

Cottages were and are located in places heavily used by many people such as bus stations, train stations, and airports. Frottage Cottages were and are often located in certain buildings on University campuses because many gay students on these campuses are at the height of their sexual desire (ages 18–21) but are too young to get into bars. For other meanings, see Bus stop (disambiguation). ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street station in 1865. ... The Universitätscampus Wien, Austria ( details) Campus (plural: campuses) is derived from the (identical) Latin word for field or open space. English gets the words camp and campus from this origin. ... Sexual behavior is a form of physical intimacy that may be directed to reproduction (one possible goal of sexual intercourse) and/or to the enjoyment of activity involving sexual gratification. ...

Often glory holes are drilled in the walls between bathroom stalls in popular cottages. Foot signals are used to signify that one wishes to connect with the person in the next stall. As explained by Mr. Humphreys in his dissertation, in some heavily used cottages, an etiquette develops and one person may function as a lookout to warn if non-gays are coming. For other uses, see glory hole. ...

Since about 1980 more of those in authority have become more aware of the existence of cottages in places under their jurisdiction and have removed doors from the bathroom stalls of popular cottages or extended the walls between the stalls to the floor to prevent foot signaling. Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

Legal status

Sexual acts in public lavatories are outlawed by many jurisdictions. (Indeed, it is likely that the element of risk involved in cottaging makes it an attractive activity to some.)

Historically in the UK, homosexual acts occurring whilst cottaging often resulted in a charge and conviction of gross indecency, an offence only pertaining to acts committed by males and particularly applied to homosexual activity. Resulting in stiffer penalties than equivalent offences committed by women or heterosexuals, the law was felt to be unfair and much lobbying took place, especially by gay groups, to get these acts of indecency removed from the statute books. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 eventually removed this contentious offence in favour of "indecent exposure" and specifically "engaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory", an offence which for the first time specifically encapsulated and outlawed cottaging. A dictionary definition of Indecent not conforming with accepted standards of behaviour or morality. ... This article is about the political effort. ... The Statute of Grand Duchy of Lithuania A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... The Sexual Offences Act 2003 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, passed in 2003. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In US law, there is no such equivalent and individuals tend to be convicted under "lewd behavior" laws.

In many of the cases where people are brought to court for cottaging, the issue of entrapment arises, since law-enforcement officers generally are not supposed to encourage people to engage in criminal activity. Another reason for the decline in cottaging is the closure of public toilets or their replacement by units designed to accommodate only one person at a time. Pop star George Michael was famously arrested and found guilty of cottaging in America, as was Christopher Aitken, a Swedish pop star whose career went rapidly downhill after. Similarly, in 1988, Australian radio personality Alan Jones was arrested in a public lavatory block in London's West End and charged with two counts of outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner under the Westminster by-laws. In 2007, Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig was arrested in a men's public restroom at the Sheriff Star badge Crossing in the Lindbergh Terminal of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for allegedly soliciting sex. Craig later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and announced his intent to resign from office,^[4] which he later rescinded. He has since contested his guilty plea and has repeatedly tried to bring the matter to trial. For the film, see Entrapment (film). ... This article is about the musician. ... Alan Belford Jones AO (born1941 or possibly 1943[2]) is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator. ... For other uses, see Idaho (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Idaho senator. ... Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (IATA: MSP, ICAO: KMSP) is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwestern region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. ... Minneapolis redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Symbolism

In the bandana code of the gay leather subculture, those who like to have sex in a cottage wear a doily (on the left if they are a top or on the right if they are a bottom). The handkerchief code, also known as the hanky code, bandana code or flagging is a way of indicating, usually among gay male casual sex seekers or BDSM practitioners in leather subculture in the US, Canada & Europe, whether they are a top or bottom, and what kind of sex they are... The Leather Pride flag, which has become a symbol of the BDSM and fetish subculture. ... A doily is a small ornamental mat usually made of lace or linen placed underneath a dish or bowl Categories: Food and drink stubs ...

References