Darkroom

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A darkroom (English, actually photographic darkroom for the processing of light-sensitive materials , in English-speaking countries, however, called backroom / back room , in official German also referred to as a "calm guest room") is a sparsely lit room for sexual contacts mainly between homosexual men in a public eatery. Since the 1990s there have also been darkrooms in some swinger clubs in Central Europe. In the BDSM area, the "playroom" is also called this.

description

Darkrooms can be found in gay bars , discos , saunas , clubs and heterosexual swinger clubs, but they can often be found in bars with the gay leather scene or bars close to the scene. They are very sparsely lit or not at all and are used by the guests for sexual acts from kissing to sexual intercourse . Usually the partners remain anonymous and have fun together or in groups without undressing completely. Some participants also observe who goes in near the entrance or get to know each other in the restaurant and show cruising behavior. By reducing the optical selection and thus a possible reason for rejection by the partner, the inhibition threshold of the individual decreases in realizing his preferences. On the other hand, the requirements are increasing to find the right partner via other sensory perceptions (touch, smell, taste, hearing).

BDSM

In addition to the rare real dark rooms in the BDSM area at SM parties and in clubs, the "play room" or the "play ground" as a separate area for sexually dominated play is referred to as the dark room. This is a separate area made up of one or more small rooms that can be closed with a curtain, which are sometimes dedicated to specific topics such as clinics, schools or churches and are appropriately equipped with furniture and utensils.

history

In 18th century London, many Molly houses had back rooms with beds. Real darkrooms emerged in the USA during the 1970s and were sparse, often only illuminated by a black cave light, basement rooms in gay clubs serving alcohol, which were therefore not accessible to minors. Nowadays, even if much less often, there are also darkrooms in the heterosexual area, primarily in swinger clubs. There are also darkrooms for lesbians in Berlin and Hamburg.

Regulations in Switzerland

In Zurich , Section 17 of the Hospitality Act of the Canton of Zurich , which has existed since 1996 and makes the patent holder responsible for “maintaining order and morality in business”, was also applied to darkrooms from 2006 and reports were filed. In heterosexual swinger clubs and brothels that were not directly comparable , the rule was not a problem, as the corresponding - mostly larger premises - were located outside the inn subject to a patent, operated as a commercial enterprise with their own license and with an entrance separate from the inn. Darkrooms are usually individual, separate rooms that are entered from the restaurant, so that far-reaching structural changes or closings would have been necessary. It was only after public protests in almost all daily media and not least because of a demonstration at the CSD Zurich 2007 that the authorities were given the clear mandate to settle the conflict. Ultimately, a mutually acceptable solution was reached between the city authorities and darkroom operators.

In order to operate a darkroom, the pubs concerned must meet various principles as well as the prevention charter of the Swiss Gay Association (VEGAS) and the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) with regard to sexually transmitted diseases . In August 2007 there were four companies with darkrooms in Zurich. In February 2008, a single judge at the Zurich District Court declared all sex in the hospitality industry to be illegal. That also included the darkrooms. The losing party and representatives of gay organizations had the decision examined by the higher court . In December 2008, the Zurich Higher Court ruled that darkrooms for homosexuals in pubs should not be banned - provided that strict age controls were carried out at the entrances.

Darkrooms in the play

The first part of the play series Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein , premiered in 1982, is called International Stud , named after a bar with a darkroom that opened in Greenwich Village in early 1969 . Leather or denim clothing was required to enter the darkroom. He plays a central role in the play. Two subcultures collide when drag queen Arnold accidentally stumbles into the darkroom.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Warren Johansson: Molly Houses (PDF, 127 kB). In: Wayne R. Dynes (Ed.): The Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (Garland Reference Library of Social Science). Taylor & Francis, March 1990, ISBN 0-8240-6544-1 , p. 827.
  2. ^ Matthew D. Johnson and Claude J. Summers: Gay and Lesbian Bars (PDF). In: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. Status: August 19, 2005.
  3. ↑ Hans-Jörg Vehlewald : Left invite you to the election party in the swingers club. bild.de, January 14, 2009.
  4. ↑ Lupo: Make Love Not War. bildblog.de, August 16, 2004.
  5. ↑ Clarity in dealing with darkrooms. ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Neue Zürcher Zeitung Online, May 10, 2007.
  6. ↑ Media release: Successful CSD, clear words. Gay Pride / Christopher Street Day Association Zurich, June 2, 2007 (no longer available online).
  7. ↑ Media release: Amicable solution in terms of darkrooms. Information point of the Zurich City Police, August 20, 2007 ( memento of September 13, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ).
  8. ↑ Stefan Hohler: Light in dealing with darkrooms. Tagesanzeiger, August 27, 2007 ( Memento of August 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ).
  9. ↑ The darkroom controversy continues. NZZ online, February 13, 2008.
  10. ↑ Darkrooms: Only legal with entry controls. Tages-Anzeiger, December 8, 2008 ( Memento from September 10, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ).
  11. ↑ Greenwich Village - A Gay History: The International Stud. ( Memento from September 26, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) huzbears.com, 1997-2004.
  12. ↑ Raymond-Jean Frontain: Comedy of Manners (2002), p 3 ( Memento of 28 April 2015, Internet Archive ). In: Claude J. Summers (Ed.): Glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture.