Back in June, everyone was talking about glory holes for a bit. This happened because the New York City Health Department dropped some new guidelines for pandemic-safe sex, including the advice to “make it a little kinky” using “physical barriers, like walls, that allow sexual contact while preventing close face to face contact.”
Thus, having sex through a hole in the wall was declared the sex act of summer 2020, ushering in at least a week of memes and glory hole jokes. But according to Slate, the great glory hole renaissance of 2020 was more than an internet meme. All summer it seems, people have actually been turning to glory holes as a safer alternative for pandemic hookups.
One man who’s been operating a private glory hole out of his home since before a viral pandemic made it cool told Slate he’s noticed a definite increase in interest in recent months.
“I’ve been in touch with quite a few others over Twitter that have recently installed glory hole arrangements as a response to the pandemic,” he told the outlet. “So yes, glory holes are becoming more popular and mainstream, especially with the recommendations from NYC health department, Canada, and others endorsing them.”
However, while the use of glory holes does help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 by eliminating face-to-face contact, it’s unclear just how safe they really are. Researchers have detected the virus in semen, though there’s little conclusive evidence to determine whether or not the virus is sexually transmitted.
In the meantime, it seems glory holes are enjoying a real-life, pandemic-era renaissance, not unlike fellow throwback phone sex. And for that, I suppose, we should be grateful. Leave all your pandemic anxieties behind for a moment and go get pleasured through a hole in the wall.
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