ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to develop an explanation of this latter form of club drug use by drawing from a larger study examining the sociological antecedents of sexual patterns in a sample of New York City heterosexual and homosexual men. To the extent that prior research correlates use of drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, GHB, and ecstasy with a particular gay subculture revolving around commercial, gayidentified venues, such as dance clubs, bars, and bathhouses. The chapter focuses on a segment of gay men who use these drugs and frequent these locations. It argues that the basis for both patterns of drug use lie in an important dimension of the social organization of urban gay life sexual sociality. In the context of gay bars, bathhouses, gyms, and the streets that connect them, the men in this study encounter prominent modes of social interaction that hinge on casual sex, sexual competition, and a sense of collective membership among individuals with fleeting social ties.
