Humphreys, Laud. 1975. Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places. New York: Aldine De Gruyter.

Humphreys is applying microsociological techniques developed by Becker, Goffman and Garfinkel
Ph.D. Washington University 1968
Places that turn from "normal" into "deviant" within seconds.
Places that provide anonymous sexual activity.

Study I Fieldstudy, Participant Observation

Setting of the study: public restrooms

Roles described by Humphreys:

watchqueen, taken by the researcher

A voyeur-lookout, able to move around without alarming the respondents

Inserter: handsome, high status, masculine

Insertee: problematic for nongays. Often accepted within the age crisis.

Frequency of traffic

Wrote down license plate numbers

Study II Structured Interview

License plate numbers served as identification of the sample. Addresses were obtained from a "friendly policeman". Some subjects were unaware that the interviewer actually was the participant observer (Humphreys).

Classification

Humphreys distinguishes between 4 types of people participating in the tearoom trade:

Trade: Simple people that might have used a brothel before this option of behavior was closed. Typically truck drivers. Willing to pay with money or sexual favors. Usually unattractive. They where sexually "underfed" by their spouses. There is "no indication that these men seek homosexual contact as such; rather they want a form of orgasm-producing action that is less lonely than masturbation, and less involving than a love relationship"(p.115).

Ambisexual: Remember, this was before the term bisexual was coined. AC/DC. Love their wives, enjoy their heterosexual relationships, but cruise for adventure.

Gay: Tearooms as an additional sexual outlet in between relations. Cruise for adventure. Many friends. Unitarian Church allows more freedom

Closet Queens: Closet homosexuals. Hidden. Few friends. Half of them Roman Catholic.

Breastplate of Righteousness

To pass as normal people wear a Breastplate of Righteousness

· Not only normal but righteous

· Protective shield of superpropriety

· Righteousness defined: virtuous, moral, good, just, blameless, upright, honorable, honest, respectable, decent; antonym: sinful

Different groups need this to a different extent

Trade	Ambisexual	Gay	Closet Queens
Essential	Some need	No need	needed

Did people internalize this righteousness? Conservatism is measured as low ratings on the liberalism scale.

People interviewed that engaged in the tearoom trade were more conservative than people of the control group.
Comparing the four groups: The more need there was for a protective plate, the more conservatism was found.

Aphrodisiacal effect of danger

"During the attack on the restroom by teen-age toughs,… I observed three acts of fellatio"(p.151). Some of the older men where unable to reach orgasm outside the tearoom scene

Question: Did all the men in the sample show sexual activity according to their sexual orientation?

Question: what would have happened if Humphrey had used positivistic methods that exclusively focus on overtly shown behavior.

Would he have had discovered the "Trade" type?
Would he have had discovered the aphrodisiacal effect of danger?

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