Dating lexicon · Community
Cruising is looking for sex partners in public places such as parks, car parks or motorway service areas.
When cruising, men look for sex partners in public places – in parks, car parks or at motorway service areas, for example. People recognise each other by glances and small signs, without many words.
Cruising has a long tradition, and it is closely tied to the persecution of gay men. In Germany, Paragraph 175 of the criminal code made sexual acts between men a crime and was only abolished completely in 1994. Anyone who couldn’t show himself openly looked for hidden places. Many older men lived through that time themselves.
Today cruising is a piece of scene history for some, and for others still the thrill of anonymity. For younger men it’s often a word they know mainly from stories.
“There were no mobiles back then – so you went cruising.”
On DaddyBoy
Feel free to ask older members about their stories – that’s how the generations learn from each other.
Related
- DL and discreetDL (“down low”) means men who have sex with men but present as straight; “discreet” means not wanting to be recognised.
- Coming outComing out means becoming aware of your own sexual orientation and telling others – often a lifelong process.
- BeardA beard is a pretend girlfriend or wife who helps a gay man hide his homosexuality from the outside world.