Trapped in a Junior High Locker Room

A few summers ago, I walked into the campus locker room after a long run, planning to shower and change clothes.  It was deserted, as one expects in the summer. But just as I dropped my underwear, the door burst open, and 50,000 kids ran in.

They were beside me, beneath me, above me, behind me, jostling, pushing, occasionally saying "Excuse me, sir," a blur of swim-sleek bodies and wet dripping hair and tiny hands fiddling with locks and swimsuits tossed to the floor.

Probably junior high age, at various stages of pubescence.  Some hard tight muscles, some thin, soft androgyny.  Some massive cocks and low-hanging balls, some nubs and pencil-dicks.  About half of them were aroused.

I grabbed my towel, wrapped it around my waist,  and inched my way through the crowd, murmuring "Excuse me, excuse me" as I collided with the occasional shoulder or arm, butt or dick.  A hand cupped my butt.  Whenn I turned, a freckled kid with braces was grinning "Sorry,  sir, I thought you were...."

Finally I extricated myself from the mass of bodies and found their handler, who was passing out towels as they pushed and shoved their way to the showers, three or four under each head.

"Junior high swim camp," he explained.

"I think I'll wait it out," I told him.  There would be no room for me to shower amid the throngs of exuberant 14-year old bodies anyway, and just looking made me uncomfortable.

Some of the physiques were impressive.  Some of the cocks were impressive.  And aroused.

Was it ethical to notice?









The high school wrestler in this photograph is 15 years old.  He's from Illinois, where the age of consent is 17, so it will be two years before an adult can legally date or engage in a sexual relationship with him.

Is it ethical to notice him?  Can you appreciate the aesthetic beauty of someone with whom physical activity would be inappropriate?

Certainly. Physical activity and aesthetic appreciation are two different things. You can enjoy the attractiveness of your boss, your students, your brother-in-law, your nephew, a stranger on the street, people who you would never consider dating or hooking up with. 

One proviso: no cruising or aggressively staring, which moves from aesthetic appreciation to sexual intent and, outside of a bar context, makes nearly everyone uncomfortable.  Straight men tend to think of it as a threat, and gay men, as creepy.











Another proviso:   Only persons aged 18 or older may be depicted aroused or in a sexual situation in photographs, film, or any visual art.  Teens can be arrested for taking selfies of themselves.

Nudity is permitted, but why take chances?  Never photograph anyone under 18 nude, with or without their permission.  [The guy taking this selfie is obviously in his 20s.]

A third proviso: Obviously, no dating or hooking up.  If your hookup looks young, card him.

Does noticing mean that you are a  p___?

Certainly not.

This is a pre-pubescent athlete.  Notice the big head compared to the body, the soft, square torso, the baby face.  He looks like a child, which of course he is.  You may find him cute, like a puppy dog, but not at all beautiful.
















These athletes are post-pubescent.  Notice the small heads compared to their bodies, the long, lean, muscular torsos, the tight faces.  They look like adults, and which of course they are, physiologically if not socially.

Noticing means that you are attracted to men, not children.