The famous bathroom has proven to be a real problem for the most diverse authorities. Whether in shopping malls, colleges, subways, it doesn't matter, there was a bathroom and men gathered together, the certainty of hooking up is a constant.
Such practice, however, is considered a crime and punishable by law. In Salvador's public transport stations, for example, things were getting out of control, and ended up becoming front page news in one of the most important newspapers in the capital of Bahia.
Check out the full “Metrópole” report below.
Fiscolagem, in good Bahianese, means looking at someone else's penis. And much more than that has been happening in the bathrooms of Salvador Metro stations. Also known as bathing, the practice has provoked complaints from users who are not interested in the act – the majority of whom are “straight practitioners”. “Non-practicing heteros”, many times, are even interested in “making out”.
By making out, we mean everything: from a kiss, a caress of the genital organ, to anal penetration. The activity can be done in pairs, but nothing prevents a group of up to five people from having sex in the public bathroom. Someone, however, has to keep guard to warn of the arrival of a stranger.
The complaints even affect CCR Metrô, which is accused by the men who engage in sexual activity of exercising excessive surveillance and, in the act, using a lot of violence to restrain them. To Jornal da Metrópole, the concessionaire stated that at the beginning of this year it launched the Tô de Olho campaign, which, despite appearing to be another pro-taxation campaign, wants to avoid the practice.
“The educational action encourages user participation to contribute to the safety and good functioning of the modal. Irregularities caught must be reported immediately so that measures can be taken immediately, with offenders being caught in the act,” says the CCR
SUBWAY STATIONS ATTRACT THOSE WHO ENJOY CASUAL SEX: “OPPORTUNITY”
Practitioner of bathherão, Ramon Santos (fictitious name at the source's request) said he chose the subway for safety. “The opportunity there was excellent. A greater movement began with the opening of more stations. Today it still happens, especially at non-peak times,” he reports. The practice is only to satisfy sexual desire. “It’s just casual sex. You don’t see if the person is your type.” He says he stopped the act due to increased supervision. “I don’t want to end up at a police station,” he says. But, before retiring, he even claims to have had a relationship with a security guard at the modal.
RULES DEFINED ON SOCIAL NETWORKS: “DON’T SAY ANYTHING”
On Twitter, two profiles indicate the best places to hook up in Salvador. Combined, the two pages have almost 50 thousand followers. The Detran Metro Station is considered the “quietest” for “exchange-exchange”. The North Access, due to the movement, is the most difficult. The group also has some rules: “Don’t say anything! Don't communicate with words, just with gestures and looks. Don't force it, if a guy doesn't want you to touch his penis, look for someone else. Don't keep pulling people, everyone does what they want. If you realize that you are getting in the way, leave!”, the pages advise.
BATHROOM IS AN ANCIENT PRACTICE IN SALVADOR
Journalist and anthropologist, Tedson Souza obtained his master's degree with a thesis that talks about “homoerotic interactions in public toilets at Estação da Lapa”, in Salvador. In 2012, when the text was published, the subway was still a legend. In addition to the fetish, Souza points out other motivators for the practice. “This happens partly due to fetish, because they don’t have a place to kiss, they are victims of repression. It is a series of factors that involve these meetings in public places.”
CCR INCREASES SAFETY
In a statement, CCR Metrô Bahia said it has more than 500 agents to guarantee the safety of all users, in addition to more than two thousand cameras that monitor the stations. “State Decree No. 15.197, of June 2014, which governs the Salvador and Lauro de Freitas Metro System, also prohibits the practice of any act that results in embarrassment to the service or that could lead to danger or accident on trains or metro facilities” , says the group.
Carrying out an obscene act in a public place is a crime provided for in the Penal Code.
