Tearoom Trade: Impersonal s** in Public Places, Humphreys 9781138533882 New..

Taylor & Francis

From the time of its first publication, 'Tearoom Trade' engendered controversy. It was also accorded an unusual amount of praise for a first book on a marginal, intentionally self-effacing population by a previously unknown sociologist. > From the time of its first publication, 'Tearoom Trade' engendered controversy. It was also accorded an unusual amount of praise for a first book on a marginal, intentionally self-effacing population by a previously unknown sociologist. The book was quickly recognized as an important, imaginative, and useful contribution to our understanding of \""deviant\"" sexual activity. Describing impersonal, anonymous sexual encounters in public restrooms\u2014\""tearooms\"" in the argot\u2014the book explored the behavior of men whose closet homosexuality was kept from their families and neighbors. By posing as an initiate, the author was able to engage in systematic observation of homosexual acts in public settings, and later to develop a more complete pictur.