Cruising is at all-time high!
With popular platforms like Sniffies offering more public play opportunities than ever before, gay sex is certainly progressing while staying true to the roots of hookup culture in the LGBTQ+ community.
Leo Herrera, Sniffies sexpert and author of the cruising manual (analog) Cruising, is shedding light on how the future of queer intimacy is going to evolve as AI, advanced technology, and online hookups continue to dominate the scene.
"Queer people have a really long tradition of using technology to connect with each other. Sniffies follows a lot of the traditional ways of cruising. It's going to be interesting how AI connects us and produces erotica," Herrera tells PRIDE.
As sex toys, AI chat rooms, and virtual erotica becomes more normalized, Herrera predicts that technology will become a bigger presence for sexual encounters in the coming years.
"A lot of those these interactions that we have with AI are frictionless interactions and friction is very important when it comes to sexuality. We're going to have a lot of these exciting, and somewhat terrifying, tools when it comes to AI. We are witnessing the creation of a sex robot."
Many people have theorized that sexbots will gain prominence in the not-too-distant future, but as the internet becomes a stronger resources for sexual pleasure, that fantasy could become a reality.
"People are having full on relationships with robots. Young people are having companionships with synthetic beings. How is that going to affect the way we interact with each other? You can't understand the dangers of technology until you understand the pleasures and queer people are very good about understanding the pleasures about technology."
Herrera sheds light on all of the changes happening in the world of queer sex in his manuals and on Sniffies' Cruising Confessions podcast, streaming on all platforms now.
"We have tools that are unimaginable to our ancestors. We are in a sexual revolution and we have to act accordingly. It's a big responsibility, but it's a very exciting time to be a gay person."
