Public sex

For other uses, see Public sex (disambiguation).

Agostino Carracci "satyrs and nymphs" artwork (1557–1602)

Martin van Maele's print Francion 15 depicts a couple engaging in foreplay outdoors

Public sex is sexual activity that takes place in a public context. It refers to a person or more than one person performing a sex act in a public place or in a private place which can be viewed from a public place.

Such private places can include a back yard or even a bedroom with the curtains open. It also includes such acts in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall. Public places where sex acts can be performed include a car (commonly called "parking"), on a beach, in a forest, theatre, bus, street, toilet, cubicle, or cemetery.

In September 2003, the BBC reported on a "dogging" craze, fueled by the Internet. Dogging is a British English slang term for engaging in public sex (usually in a car park or country park) while others watch them. Dogging has aspects of exhibitionism and voyeurism.

There is some evidence on the Internet that the 'dogging craze' has begun to spread to other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Barbados, Brazil, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.

Public, outdoor sex purportedly takes place quite often in parks and beaches in Vancouver and San Francisco. According to the New York magazine, public sex occurs relatively frequently in New York City, and is a fantasy common to many people.

Legality

Social views related to public sex and sexuality vary greatly between different cultures and different times. There are many and varied laws which apply to sex in public, which use a variety of terms such as indecent exposure, public lewdness, gross indecency, and others. In some jurisdictions an offense is committed only if the participants are seen by others, so that if a toilet cubicle is closed then no offense may have been committed.

That is the situation, for example, in the United Kingdom as a result of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Section 71 of the act makes it an offence to engage in sexual activity in a public lavatory. In the United Kingdom, public sex comes under laws related to voyeurism, exhibitionism or public displays of sexual behaviour, but public sex laws are ambiguous. Prosecution is possible for a number of offences such as section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, exposure under section 66 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, or under the common law offence of outraging public decency. The policy of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is that arrests are a last resort and a more gradual approach should be taken in such circumstances.

In the UK, there has been a rise in sex on premises venues, possibly due to a more relaxed approach to enforcement of laws relating to this act since the early 1990s.

See also

• Cottaging
• Exhibitionism
• Public display of affection
• Public nudity
• Public Sex (film)

References

Further reading

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons