HOMOSEXUALITY: Gays on the March

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and branded on the rump by a fellow patron of the Eagle. "But part of the whole thing is the sense of danger, of not knowing what is in store."

Part of it, too, is the search for a masculine image by gay men who have been treated as feminized creatures most of their lives. The masculine emphasis has even affected transvestites, many of whom, prancing in dresses, wear beards, mustaches, tattoos and sometimes Army boots for shock value.

Aside from the blurring of sex roles, perhaps the most obvious aspect of the male gay culture is its promiscuity. Some men have quick, anonymous and furtive sex in the men's rooms of public parks, subway stations or college buildings. Others seek nightly for partners in established pickup areas. In Lincoln, Neb., they cruise near the Governor's mansion; in Arlington, Va., near the Iwo Jima memorial. In the Fens and "the Block," in Boston's Back Bay, homosexuals run the risk of getting badly beaten and even killed by roaming gangs who are out to get them. Most of the sex is free; some is for sale.

Male prostitutes who are teen-age or younger are greatly in demand, particularly by older married men. Robin Lloyd, a Los Angeles writer-producer, has just written a book on the subject: For Love or Money, to be published next spring by Vanguard Press. Lloyd estimates that more than 100,000 American boys between the ages of 13 and 16, mostly runaways from working-class or welfare families, are actively engaged in prostitution. Neither the Los Angeles nor the San Francisco police find his figure too high. Recent police raids uncovered teen-age brothels in Los Angeles and New Rochelle, N.Y., and a national guide to the trade, Where the Boys Are, has sold 70,000 copies at $5 each.

Some homosexuals also go to "the baths"—homosexual bathhouses, now found in almost all large cities and many small ones. Typically, for $5 to $10, a man is entitled to twelve hours and as much sex as he wants. There are usually small private cubicles as well as a large "orgy room" used for group sex. A customer can go with a partner, pick up a stranger in the orgy room, or simply go to a cubicle, leave the door ajar, and see who steps in.

The baths also function is clubs that offer relief from the straight world and as homes away from home for travelers. The Club Baths chain has branches in 32 cites. Some baths have live entertainment: the Man's Country bathhouse in Chicago recently featured Sally Rand, and Bette Midler began her career and won her gay following by singing at the Continental Baths in Manhattan. The Continental is currently shunned by the In set of trendmakers, who patronize Everhart's. Most baths have TV rooms and serve food. Says gay Writer Arthur Bell: "It's like going into a womb—you can live there for days if you want to, completely oblivious to the outside world."

Private Lives: Looking for Connections

Gays often argue that they are no more promiscuous than heterosexuals would be if opportunities were similar. "It's much easier dealing with men than with women," said one Los Angeles homosexual. "You don't have to play any games or strike any poses. You just sidle up and pop the question." In addition, many of the restraints felt by heterosexuals do not apply to homosexuals. Says New York City College History