Sexuality at Burning Man
Another powerful undercurrent at Burning Man, moreso even than the artwork and the rampant creativity,
is the rampant procreativity. There's a strong and steady undercurrent of human sexuality that seems to wash over the Playa
at all times. Frankly, at first it was pretty off-putting-it seemed like everywhere I looked people were naked, semi-naked, making
out, talking about making out, giving lectures about making out (seriously-I attended a fairly informative lecture at SnuggleDome
that was all about the female orgasm. Not too much new info, but there were hand gestures) or just generally reveling in sexual
freedom. It kind of made me feel like if I wasn't getting laid then I must be doing something wrong! But after a few days I adapted
to the libidinous atmosphere and realized that it wasn't so much that everybody around me was having sex (they probably were but
that's beside the point) as that the general attitudes towards human sexuality were much more relaxed out here in the desert. Sex
at Burning Man is more visible, more open, less taboo; this was a chance for people to relax the bounds of convention and experiment
a bit, in an accepting atmosphere where if you did anything you regretted, well hell, you wouldn't have to see them again after the
end of the week. If you came with a partner, the assumption was often going to be that you were in an open relationship unless you
indicated otherwise. Even the days were suggestively named-Make-Out Monday, Oral Sex Tuesday, Hump Day, Threesome Thursday... I
thought it said a lot about BM's sexual attitudes that they got the vanilla sex out of the way by Wednesday and only got more
entertaining from there.
Such chipper horniness is especially reflected by the theme camps. The Temple of Atonement holds regular
workshops in knot-typing and bondage techniques. Jiffy-Lube, the all-male tent, has a very simple promise: "Get in, get off, get
out"; you'll be serviced with a smile. The Lumerian Temple holds lectures in "Accepting the Divine Feminine" and teaches trantra
in classes that are invariably standing room only. The Orgasmatron held classes, with demonstration, on rug-muching-bring your own
rug. For those less inclined to an anonymous romp, SnuggleDome promises "cuddles, hugs, and snuggles with no sexual overtures" and
the HeeBeeGeeBees offer daily professional massages and body rubs, clothing entirely optional, in a tent full of people giving each
other rubdowns.
I'm not saying that everybody I met at Burning Man was promiscuous, or even particularly flirtatious.
Frankly, it's damned hard to flirt when it's 110 out and you're covered in an inch of Playa dust. (As one young lady put it,
"ew--mud!".) And there's real and valid health concerns when you've only barely met a prospective partner; diseases! Some folks
managed to get out there, but most of the people I met remained essentially sexually conservative. I spoke with one married couple
who lamented that after a week in the desert they'd only managed to have lots of sex with each other. (My heart did not exactly
bleed with sympathy.)