Gay naked bars

Source: Getty Images. Published 11 April pm. Updated 11 April pm. Share this with family and friends. What I naked working in a naked gay bar "What makes working in a socially-nude environment so fascinating is witnessing the inhibitions of strangers fall away," writes Brandon Cook. What is slightly less known about this northern venue, however, is a curious event that runs on Monday and Tuesday nights: ADAM at Sircuit.

Not too long ago, I had a job there as a cloakroom attendant. I would stash your clothes in a bag, throw on some tags and stow them away. And yes, I would do this all in the buff. The concept of nudity at gay venues is no novel idea; in the bar of gay sexual liberation, many a queer bar has seen exposed rear ends and other parts fly free in the interest of sexual expression, whether partially unclothed or even entirely.

Where ADAM presents an alternative, however, is in the inherently social element of the event. What it does offer is an opportunity for gay men to converse with one another, offering liberation through a unique experience — being entirely unclothed. Many men feel afraid the first time they visit ADAM. Everything but your shoes.

Am I attractive enough to be here? Am I gym-fit, buff-and-ripped, body-beautiful enough for this scandalous gay scene? Will I be judged, stared at, mocked? Soon, their shoulders drop and their rears unclench, the initial anxiety of complete exposure falling away with every pint.

What I learned working in a naked gay bar

Their faces soften as the fear dissipates, and suddenly the idea of being naked in a room full of strangers comes without expectation or the drive for procreation. What makes working in a socially-nude environment so fascinating is witnessing the inhibitions of strangers fall naked. Not just through the consumption of alcohol, but also through shedding their clothes.

Every gym-fit body, sculpted to perfection, still possesses its own series of flaws. To enter the gay community is to acknowledge a culture that often prioritises the body beautiful over a sense of belonging — yet at ADAM, patrons are met with kindness. Sometimes they come right down to the clothes on our backs.

Clothes are adjectives; they are indicators. And as I watched nude patrons make sweet conversation under heaters with cold pints in gay, I realised that I was witnessing another form of camaraderie. Not through community struggle, pain or anguish — but through complete and utter freedom from bar, as every spot, freckle and bruise stands there, proud and unapologetic, on complete and utter display.

Published 11 April pm Updated 11 April pm.