w w w w , lqlw Aw _! , 2B Wednesday December 5, 2012 The Statement THE JUNK DRAWER Wednesday December 5 2012 The Statement 7 Casual encounters: Tapping into a secret sex space letter from the editors by dylan cinti and jennifer xu We're very excited to present our Sex Issue. So excited, in fact, that we went ahead and released one of the pieces - "Casual Encounters" - online on Monday evening. Perhaps you read it:If not, we advise you to. It's a University senior's riveting account of gay cruis- ing in the age of Craigslist and Grindr. In the story,he describes aseries of random hookupswith students he's met on Craigslist and other sites. But beyond its salacious premise, the piece is an astute commentary on the nature of intimacy when sex is as easy as, in the words of the author, "logging on, perusing, messaging, waiting." Sites such as Craig- slist, Grindr and Manhunt constitute an entire sexual sphere - a space where anything goes, and where gratification is almost instantaneous. After publishing this piece online, we were surfing around the Craig- slist "m4m" section when an entry caught our eye: "Casual Encoun- ters MI Daily Article." "To the guy who wrote the Casual Encounters in the Michigan Daily article," the post read, "wanna have some fun?" The Internet can be a terrifying place. But it is also be a place where meaningful connections begin. And who's to say that something that starts through Craigslist can't lead to something special? If the author of "Casual Encounters" is reading this, there's a 6'2" stud who's inter- ested in you. He's a successful guy with bedroom eyes, and he's looking to "have some fun." Message him. from last week: animals How would you feel about working in a lab where you random student interview by kaitlin williams / illustrations by megan mulholland Welcome to the Random Student Interview, where we talk about sex for twice as long as it lasts. OK, so we're only going to print your first name, so be as candid as possible. What is it, by the way? Westley. Westley? That's the main charac- ter's name from one of my favor- ite movies, "The Princess Bride.' "The Princess Bride" is my favorite movie as well! Because I'm in it. I can see that. You've even got the flowy blonde hair going! Sexy. Thanks. Oh gosh. At what point during the coitus was this walking in on? Um ... this is graphic. Can I be graphic? Yeah! No one is going to know it's you! It could be any Westley. There's only a couple Westleys. I know for a fact there's only two or three others at this school, but it's OK. OK. Go on then. We were both just naked on her bed and she walked ... she walked completely in the room. She didn't knock. She walked in the room and it wasn't a big room. Oh. Intimate setting. It was a cozy moment for us three. Oh gosh, that's horrible. So, on to better sexy topics. Another question a lot of people ask, if you could have sex with anyone in the world, who would it be and why? Gosh, you're asking tough ques- Q Nice. Don't borrow Westley's copy of "Into the Blue". OK, so I've forgotten my other question during all this sex talk ... So what do you think is the weirdest sex story you've heard? Well, one of my friends told me about a four-way he did with two other guys and a girl. It was the weirdest thing I've ever heard in my life. It revolted me in several ways. Was he, like, bragging about it? No, he was just ... I don't know! We were talking about it at hockey practice and he was just like, "Yeah, we just did it because we thought it'd be a good story." And I was like, "that's a terrible reason!" Yeah, I mean he could've just made it up if he was looking for a story. That's what everybody else does; they pretend to have the sex. That's what I told him. Don't actu- ally do that. Gosh. The details were graphic and weird and I'm not going to get into them so as to save you the awkwardness. Well, I thank you for that, and my readership thanks you for that. I hope you get laid this weekend. -Westley is an LSA freshman. by A University Senior had to do experiments on animals? All right. Speaking of sexy, I tions.v wanna talk about sex for two I don't think researchers should I wouldn't have a minutes, which is longer than They're tough? You mean guys be able to test on animals problem with it most people have sex, I think. So, don't just think of this shit all 45.2% 28.6% what's your most embarrassing the time? You're supposed to be. sex story? prepared to answer these kinds Most embarrassing sex story... I of questions. guess I'd just have to say my girl- How about ... Jessica Alba. friend's mom walking in on me and her. It was pretty terrible. 3 jYes. Jessica Alba. Why? Or should I say, why not? I. She's hot. And she looks phenom- enal ina bathing suit in "Into the 1 wouldn't be comfortable I wouldn't have a problem doing it, but I understand why with it T HE statem ent it's necessary 9.5% 16.7% Magazin Editors Editor in Cief at are you into? Last year, I was walking past Pizza House at 2 a.m. when a tall, athletic guy stumbled out and shouted "Hey, FAG!" in my direction. Fag. Well, sort of, I thought. I do have sex with men. Usually it's late at night, and usually it's with men I've met on the Internet. I also have sex with women, though that's a bit more complicated than getting online, sending a few e-mails, and dropping my pants in a stranger's bed. "Hey, FAG!" The guy did have a point, because less than 20 minutes later I was at a political science major's apartment. He was crouched in front of me on the ground, his hands bound with a belt behind his back. Hey man. Whatsup? not too much. u?pretty horny... to!. Not the most romantic of beginnings, but this isn't about romance. It's about sex. can you host? ineed to be super discreet if that's ok. not out. I could have guessed as much from the picture he sent. Tall, dark hair, fit and wear- ing a Michigan Football T-shirt. A college bro who just happens to like fucking other college bros. Sure. You can come to my apartment. Now, I wait. It's always nerve-wracking, but in exciting kind of way. -I take a shot of bad whiskey. In 15 minutes I will be face-to- face with a guy I just met online, and a few minutes after he will be taking off his pants. When he gets to the door we shake hands, which seems oddly formal. His hair looks wet from the shower, and he smells a little too strongly of Old Spice. "My roommate's asleep, so try to be quiet," I say while leading him toward my bedroom. He notices a glass bowl on my dresser and says far too loudly, "You smoke weed, man?" Yeah. I start packing a bowl. - We make out between hits. He looks like he's having a good time. I am, too. He starts to fumble with my belt buckle. Finally he gets it undone. "Nice dick, bro." Don't think anonymous sex between men is some product of the digital age. It's been around as long as locker rooms, bathroom stalls and the CCRB sauna. But for a lot of gay men our age, "cruising" has migrated online. This is hook-up culture on steroids. It's easier, more anonymous and probably safer. Estab- lishing what you're comfortable with before- hand is simple. What are you into? Top or bottom? Any kinks? FWB? I'm 4/20 friendly. m4mm. Bot- tom for use. I want to be ridden. I want your load. I wanna take it slow. Safe sex only. Just looking to kiss. Just looking for kicks. I'm just curious. Craigslist, Adam4Adam, Grindr, Manhunt - these are the places to meet, chat, and hook up with other men. Any night of the week you can find pages and pages of profiles, a good number of them University students. Some guys look for friends or dates, but most are just looking to get off. A lot of students iden- tify as either "straight" or "curious." Even more are "discreet" about their sexualities - in other words, closeted. Coming out is hard to do. Responding to "Bottom up for grabs" on Craigslist isn't. So for the frat guy who laughs when his friends call someone a fag but secretly wants to kiss another man; for the freshman whose family and politics tells him it's not OK to get off on the gay porn he's been watching since high school; for the guy who's confused and just wants to try it out; for all these people, online hookups offer the simple thing they've been denied: release. I'd been with a guy once in high school. In college, I wanted to try it again, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea of being "out" in any sort of public setting. Somehow, I stum- bled upon the m4m section of Craigslist. The more people I hooked up with, the more com- fortable I became. This all must sound kind of seedy. But as long as the sex is safe, consensual and plea- surable, does it really matter how it starts? Is getting online to look for sex any different than goingto Rick's or Charley's? Logging on. Perusing. Messaging. Wait- ing... It's another night, another guy. I pick him up in front of his dorm around 1 a.m. After saying hello, we both fall silent. I can tell he's nervous. "Have you done this sort of thing before, with a guy?" "Yeah. A few times." He's hot. Dark skin, curly hair, a strong, masculine jawline. Beneath his baggy sweat- shirt is a toned and muscular physique. I ask him if he's out, and his tone turns defensive. "No. But I'm not gay. I'm bi." "Metoo." It's clear he doesn't want to talk, so instead I reach over the stick shift and put my hand on his leg. "Fuck," he says. "I forgot the condom." I pull my hand away. Maybe he's nervous, or maybe I'm just not his type. "Oh, that's fine. We don't have to do this. I can take you back." But he really has forgotten the condom. After he goes back into his dorm to get one, we fuck in the backseat of my car, parked in the back corner of the Music School parking lot. As soon as his shirt comes off, he's not anxious anymore. But as we're driving back to his dorm, he's silent again. Then he asks: "Are you in a frat? You look familiar. I think I saw you at a rushing event." I laugh. "No. Not me." I can't tell you how many of these hookups I've had. I can tell you there are many more to come. One day I'll settle down, probably with a woman. But that day won't be anytime soon. For the moment, it's more strangers. More Michigan Football T-shirts. More bad whis- key and Old Spice. There's a whole sexual space on campus that you now know a little about. If it's up your alley, go for it. Log on,' peruse. Throw caution to the wind. What are you into?