Apparently, glory holes are a favorite of many straight men
By: Chris Farmer
“My girlfriend is cool and everything, but she can’t give head worth a damn,” says Ricky*, a 25-year old who cab driver who identifies himself as straight. “It’s easier just to stick my business in a hole and let it happen.”
More and more, it appears guys like Ricky are using glory holes to anonymously get their needs met.
In fact, according to recent research, men who identify as “straight” are involving themselves in gay related sex more and more.
On the condition of anonymity, MV spoke to a few men like Ricky who consider themselves “straight” or “curious” about why they prefer glory holes.
We also interviewed a former long term employee of “The Ram”; a popular adult bookstore in Chicago where guys on the DL frequent to get serviced anonymously.
And just in case you are reading this and don’t know what a glory hole is, here’s a 25-cent definition.
A glory hole (aka gay glory hole) is a circular carve out in a piece of metal or wood whereby a man can stick his anatomy through a hole and be serviced by another person on the receiving end.
Usually, these transactions are anonymous because the person placing their privates through the hole does not see who is on the other side.
FYI: Glory holes are not a modern phenomenon. Researchers have traced their beginnings back to the time of the ancient Egyptians, which have been recorded through hieroglyphs.
OK, now that we have that out of the way, let’s jump right in!
“It’s not gay if you don’t know”
Brent*, a 42-year old married truck driver who transports products along Route 66 for a major chain store explained his motivations.
When you’re on the road, you get the lay of the land pretty fast. On my route, there are lots of shops out in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes, I go into a booth, check out a video of whatever they’ve got on and relax.
Do they have holes in some of those booths? Yeah. Have I ever used them? Sure, a few times. For all I know, some hot chick is on the other end. But because I can’t see, I don’t know – and don’t care. It’s not gay if you don’t know.
Rushing in, bolting out
Jimmy is a 60 something former employee of The Ram, an adult bookstore in Chicago that is home to a myriad of different booths containing various sized booths.
He shared the following with MV about the popularity of glory holes with straight and bi-men.
“I worked there for over 10-years and saw everything you can imagine. If I had a dime for every fireman or cop that walked in there to quickly get their rocks off, I’d be rich.”
Describing the typical “straight” guy that frequented the Ram, he revealed:
“It was easy to tell the closeted guys because they would rush in, pay their entry fee and run through the turnstile in a flash. Ten or fifteen minutes later, they’d bolt right out and leave.”
He explained to us that some of these men wore baseball caps to shield their faces, fearing they’d be recognized by others.
“Married first timers, usually from the burbs, were the most jittery. But once they felt safe, they’d pop by few times a month.”
Jimmy explained his theory on why glory holes are so popular with guys who consider themselves straight.
“It’s totally anonymous. At least that’s how it was when I was there. The booth is pitch black so you really can’t see through the hole. When you think about it, anyone could be on the other side.
I guess it’s a way of conning yourself into thinking whatever you want,” he shared.
The glory of quick and fast
Nelson* is a 37-year old self-described business man from the Tampa area who frequents various triple X shops dotted along the I-4 corridor.
“I have to be discrete. My wife hates giving oral and always has. But I love getting it. Since she won’t do it, I’ve turned to some of the shops [triple x].”
We wanted to know what attracted him to glory holes.
“It’s quick, easy and convenient. I never try to see who is on the other side of the wall [glory hole] because that adds to the excitement. Been doing this now for about 3 years?”
We wanted to know if Nelson considers himself gay, straight or bisexual.
“I’m mostly straight. Just because I like getting s*cked off doesn’t mean I’m gay – not that there’s anything wrong with that. I don’t give oral when I go to the shops.
Related: Bro job 101: Where to find the straight guys
“I have to be discrete”
The conversations we had as part of this piece follow a recent study conducted by a University of Oregon researcher who published article, Bud-Sex: Constructing Normative Masculinity Among Rural Straight Men That Have Sex with Men.
The study’s author, Tony Silva, shared with us in an exclusive interview his insight as to why men who call themselves straight or bi sometimes hook up with other men.
“Regarding straight men that have sex with men, it is important to differentiate between two populations: (1) those who identify as gay or bisexual but tell other people that they are straight, and who are thus “closeted,” and (2) those who identify as straight and perceive their sexual identity in ways that run counter to what people think of as straightness. Men like my participants are in the second population. Interpretations are key to sexual identification.”
“Anonymity”
The final guy we talked to is a 24- year old NYC based gay escort named Eric. He built a glory hole in his home because several of his straight identifying clients prefer this type of discrete contact.
He explains:
“You have to understand that for a lot of these guys, it’s important they keep that straight label. For some of them, if they see who the person doing the deed, it’s a buzz kill. Sure, they know what’s really going on but there’s still the illusion of anonymity”
He goes onto share how his services work using a portable, cloth based glory hole.
“My repeat clients usually pay me in advance with a throw away debit card. First timers though are required to stick the money through the hole first.
Once I get their money, it’s show time. They come over at the agreed time and that’s it. I have mine set up [glory hole] set up in a small room. It’s pretty quick money. This is more of a specialty service so it doesn’t happen a lot.
But when it does I charge an extra $50.00 because I have to set it all up and then take it down. Plus, I rewash the cloth. Sometimes, a regular will slip a $20.00 through as a tip when he’s done. That’s kind of cool.”
Drunk glory hole fun
Back to Jimmy, the former bookstore attendant. We were curious about other things he’d seen over the years. One observation he made relates to drunk guys who visited The Ram during baseball season.
“Wrigley Field is literally within walking distance. During night games, a lot of younger guys would come in drunk off their ass immediately after the 9th inning or if things were going bad, during the 7th inning. I used to keep the TV on WGN just for that reason.
So they’d pop in – knowing full well it wasn’t Borders Books – and start walking around. After checking out the DVD case, they’d come up to the front desk and ask what was in back. Always told them there were booths and some played video.
A few of them put the pieces together and quickly left. But not all of them.
If they were sloppy drunk, I’d ask them to leave. But if they were a little tipsy, I’d pass them through as long as they paid the fee.”
He paused and then added:
“And I always warned them to put their wallets in their front pockets. Things have a way of falling out when you’ve got your pants down.”
We were curious about people he’d seen without revealing identities.
“Are you serious? I used to see professional athletes come into the place several times a year. They’d walk in with a hoodie on. At the time, they didn’t have a glass cage separating me from customers so I’d make them pull the hood down so I could see their face.
But as soon as I’d pass them through, the hoodie would go right back up. Now-a-days, I don’t think you can wear those.
But don’t kid yourself. They were coming in for a quick visit to a booth and a shot through the glory hole. But drunk, straight boys were the worst. I’d constantly have to remind them to zip up on the way out.”
*Name changed upon request
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7 Glory Hole Safety Tips for Gay Men
How to seduce a straight man the right way