The organizer of a private gay sex club in New York City has explained its policy of charging different admission prices for men who identify as ‘tops’ or ‘bottoms’.

Top and bottom is slang for the penetrative or receptive partner when it comes to anal sex.

‘ANONYMOUS’ is a sex party for guys in Brooklyn. It’s due to return for a second outing on 2 June. The first event took place over the Black Party weekend last month.

It is charging $65 entry for bottoms and $25 for tops.

Like many such parties in NYC, its existence has been advertised discreetly, with interested customers invited to email the organizer for further details.

However, when images of the flyer appeared on social media, some began to comment on its door charges. They questioned the extreme difference in admission price and how the policy could be enforced. Also, what about guys who identify as versatile? Or aren’t into anal sex?

me paying 25 then bottoming the whole night pic.twitter.com/CfSKgsGypt — gooey (@preppapig) May 29, 2018

Speaking to Gay Star News, ANONYMOUS promoter Luke (who asked not to use his full name) revealed he has been inspired to create the event by an attendee at one of his other parties ‘who is a self-identfied cumdump.’

‘We need a huge ratio of tops to bottoms’

‘I knew people were in fact hungry for this type of party,’ said Luke. ‘I actually didn’t create the top and bottom pricing. That was suggested by the same cumdump who suggested the party.

‘The way the party works is that bottoms volunteer as a cumdump. They are placed into position for the entirety of the party and stay there as long as they want.’

He goes on to explain, ‘We wanted to keep the party more manageable for obvious safety reasons. So we used a smaller and therefore more expensive (per capita) space.

‘I’m a big big old bottom, and this has always been a fantasy of mine, but for it to work – and for the experience to be achieved for the cumdump bottoms – we need a huge ratio of tops to bottoms, which means discounting admission for anyone who wants to top.

‘That’s also part of what the bottoms are paying more for – guaranteed high numbers of tops.

‘We do regular check-ins with our bottoms to make sure they are feeling safe’

‘We are not proctoring anybody’s sexual identity, we’re just asking which role you’ll prefer to play in this particular fantasy experience.

‘If someone is versatile they can play as a top. They just can’t switch over to bottom during the party because the bottoms have already volunteered for a limited number of spots in advance.

‘In terms of policing the event I have staff throughout the space. We do regular check-ins with our bottoms to make sure they are feeling safe, comfortable, taken care of properly and if they need bathroom breaks or to take a time out we can help them do that.

‘We don’t mention vers on the flyer or voyeurs, but certainly both are welcome to come and in my emails to my mailing list, those things are mentioned.

‘I hope this clears up some of the “cumtroversy”. I wish I had a shocking or controversial reason for charging bottoms more, but no, I just wanted to center a party around bottoms who have a gang-bang fantasy, and that means making it easier to attend if you‘re eager to play the complementary role in this scene.’

‘Makes perfect sense with a little bit of thought’

NYC-based writer Rembrandt Duran was among those to comment on the club’s entry pricing on Twitter, saying he posted it because he found it ‘fucking hilarious’.

Duran went viral a couple of months ago on Gay Star News with his own opinion piece arguing that tops enjoy certain privileges that bottoms do not.

He told GSN, ‘My immediate reaction to the flyer was the same as anyone would have just at the image and prices, without context or explanation.

‘But with some thought I obviously realized it wasn’t your typical sex party. It’s more a specified fetish sex party specifically to cater bottoms who wanted as many tops as possible.

‘It’s definitely way more hilarious without context but makes perfect sense with a little bit of thought. Definitely worth the money for both parties, I think!’

New York sex scene and sexual health

New York City was famed for its gay sex clubs in the late 1970s but many disappeared when AIDS arrived in the 1980s. City authorities closed down many of the more notorious establishments.

However, advances in treatment and prevention over the last 20 years have led to a shift in the way many gay and bi men have sex and explore their fantasies.

‘With the effectiveness of PrEP, and the knowledge that someone who is undetectable cannot transmit the virus to their sexual partners, people may be able to explore certain sexual fantasies without any risk of HIV transmission,’ says Matthew Hodson, chief executive of HIV information organization NAM.

‘It remains the case that sex without condoms with multiple partners provides an efficient route for the transmission of a wide range of STIs. In group-sex scenarios, hepatitis C and gonorrhoea can spread rapidly.’

‘Even if you’re on PrEP, or certain that your sexual partners are undetectable, regular STI screening can ensure that if you have an STI it will be detected and treated, which will reduce the risk of you passing it on to others.’

Health experts recommend sexually active gay men have a sexual health check-up at least once a year. Those with multiple partners should consider a check-up 3-4 times a year, even if they have no symptoms.

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