Group sex

Group sex is sexual behaviour involving more than three participants at the same time. The main focus of this page is group sex among humans, however group sex also occurs in other animal species - e.g. bighorn sheep and bonobos.

Any and all sexual behaviour performed by at least four people can be a part of group sex, as well as a number of behaviors only possible with more than two people. Group sex involving one participant being penetrated by multiple people is sometimes termed a gang bang. In modern parlance an orgy may also refer to an event involving group sex.

The difference between an orgy and a 3(+)-way (i.e. 4-way, 5-way, 6-way, etc) is that in a 3(+)-way there is one specific occurrence of sexual activity, that may be added onto but not split off into separate entities; if there are 2 or more specific focal points of sex the 3(+)-some becomes an orgy. In one notable exception, some regard a case with two men and three women with the three foci of activity being the first man and one of the women, the second man and another woman and the third woman having sex either with one of the man-woman pairs, the other pair, or with both women, or, most commonly, rapidly cycling through all three of them, to be a special case which is not an orgy but rather a 3-on-2, cyclic ménage-à-trois, horseshoe orgy, or other terms which vary widely with locale and group. If there were activity between the two men as well, such an arrangement would simply be an orgy, or perhaps a co-ed circle jerk.

Group sex can occur amongst people of all sexual orientations and genders.


Group sex in contemporary culture

While group sex has always been practiced in many cultures across the world, it wasn't until the 1960s that advocates of group sex first brought recreational (as opposed to purely ritual) group sex into the public consciousness of the Western world. Groups such as the Sexual Freedom League introduced many people to large scale, frequently polyamorous group sex. As the experiments and bohemian lifestyles of the 1960s became absorbed by the mainstream, group sex in a variety of forms became tremendously popular in the United States and Europe in the 1970s.


Types of group sex

Group sex may involve three or more people of any gender or sexual orientation. The events themselves may be characterized by sex; for example, a straight group sex session would involve only heterosexual sex. Some venues for group sex may be intended for a particular group or groups of people. Different types of group sex may or may not involve switching partners. Some sex clubs, for example, require entrants to come in pairs and do not typically involve actual physical contact between people in different pairs. Group sex may involve a specific set of sexual activities; for example, some involve BDSM, while "vanilla" group sex does not.

In many cultures, public intercourse is considered taboo and is illegal (see indecent exposure); many groups also frown upon sex that is not monogamous. Group sex often takes place in private or clandestine locations, including homes, hotel rooms, unpopulated areas, or private clubs. Sex clubs are often open to members only, while less formal locations (truck stops, wooded areas) may be semi-secret. Group sex also sometimes takes place in nightclubs, bathhouses, massage parlors, or bars, although such places are sometimes subject to legal repercussions. Group sex may be a part of other social activities such as parties, although some venues such as gay bathhouses tend to eschew talking.

The possibility for awkwardness among friends, significant others, or strangers at group sex is often cited as a problem with them, particularly in relatively spontaneous incidents of group sex such as drunken group sex among friends. Among heterosexuals, the relative availability of men and women is also a concern for participants, as social stigma or other factors structures the extent to which many men or women feel comfortable being promiscuous.


Prevalence

Fantasies of group sex are extremely common among both men and women. In major studies, between 54%-88% of people fantasize about watching others have sex, 40%-42% fantasize about being watched by others, and between 39%-72% fantasize about bondage. The practice of group sex is not uncommon - the Janus Report indicated that 14% of men and 8% of women engaged in group sex. A 1968 report in Cosmopolitan magazine mentions use of marijuana use as sometimes being something which can increase the likelihood of group sex occurring, which the survey estimated as having a prevalence of 6 percent at that time in the United States. . Many forms of sexual behavior were reported by Kinsey's subjects, but the official Kinsey Reports web site does not mention threesomes or group sex in the summary of Kinsey's findings.


Safety

With the arrival of AIDS, group sex is widely considered a dangerous activity, precipitating crackdowns on venues where it takes place and a shift away from widespread anonymous group sex and towards sex parties among trusted groups of friends. In response to the threat of sexually transmitted infection, some people have begun to organize safer sex parties in order to give people who enjoy group sex a risk-reduced way to participate in it. Such events typically do not involve intercourse or sex without necessary barrier methods such as condoms, focusing on group masturbation, protected oral sex, the use of sex toys, or other activities involving minimal risk of STD transmission. Many venues where group sex often take place provide condoms, dental dams, latex gloves, lubricant, or other tools for safer sex to participants. However, sex involving potential fluid exchange is considered a major risk factor for HIV or other diseases.

Consent can also be an issue for participants of group sex, because individual participants may not want to perform certain acts (for example they may only want non-penetrative sex) and it can be difficult to establish clearly defined boundaries before group sex begins. Most organized forms of group sex impose restrictions or use customs to ensure that all sex involved is consensual; for example, some groups have specific non-verbal cues (eye contact, hand gestures) used to communicate consent or lack thereof. Furthermore, alcohol and other drugs may be seen as risk factors for unwanted sexual contact during group sex. While the term “orgy” is used to refer to consensual group sex, it (and other terms such as "gangbang" or "pulling a train") can also be used to refer to sexual assault committed by a group.


Sexual positions and combinations possible only in group sex

Various assemblages of people may participate in group sex. While group sex does not imply that all participants must be in sexual contact with all others simultaneously, some positions are only possible with three or more people.

As with the positions listed above, more group sex positions become practical if erotic furniture is used.

With three participants

When three people have sex with each other, it is called a threesome. Possible ways of having all partners in sexual contact with each other include:

. One person performs oral sex on either of the other two partners while they engage in anal or vaginal intercourse. Somtimes called a spit roast
. A man has vaginal or anal sex with one partner, while himself being anally penetrated by another (possibly with a strap-on dildo).
. Three partners lie or stand in parallel, with one between the other two. Sometimes called a sandwich. This term may specifically refer to the double penetration of a woman, with one penis in her anus, and the other in her vagina.
. A participant has vaginal or anal sex with one partner, and both give oral sex to a third.
. Three people perform oral sex in a triangular configuration, commonly called a "daisy chain".

With many participants

These positions can be expanded to accommodate any number of participants:

. A group of males masturbating is called a circle jerk.
. A group of males masturbating and ejaculating on one person's face, is known as bukkake.
. A group of men, women, or both, each performing oral sex on the next, is called a daisy chain.
. A group of men, penetrating each other in a row, with three to six participants, is called a trainfuck.
. When one woman or man is given the serial or parallel attention of many, often involving a queue, it is often termed a gangbang (originally exclusively a rape term, but now used to include consensual group sex).

Multiple penetration

Multiple penetration refers to one person being sexually penetrated several times simultaneously. It generally involves between two and five participants. Penetration may be accomplished by fingers, toes, sex toys, or penises. These positions are popular in pornography, but it is difficult to say whether they enjoy any significant popularity outside of it.

If one person is penetrated by two objects, it is generically called double penetration (sometimes abbreviated dp). Given the vagina, anus and mouth, there are several ways in which this can be done. These include:

. Simultaneous penetration of the anus by two penises or other objects. This is commonly called double anal or double stuffing.
. Simultaneous penetration of the vagina by two penises or other objects. This is commonly called double vaginal or double stuffing.
. Simultaneous penetration of the vagina and anus. If this is done using penises and/or strap-on dildos, this is sometimes called the sandwich or BigMac. The shocker (see above) accomplishes this using several fingers of one hand.

. Simultaneous penetration of the mouth and either the vagina or anus. If the penetrating objects are penises, this is sometimes called the spit roast.

If one person is penetrated by three objects, it is generically called triple penetration. Possibilities include:

. Two penises penetrating the vagina and one in the anus or vice versa. While possible, this position is very difficult.
. One penis in the anus, one in the vagina, and one in the mouth simultaneously, sometimes called making her airtight or an airtight seal.

These variations of multiple penetration are commonly seen in pornography aimed at straight men. Some of these positions put two men in intimate contact with each other, either directly or indirectly.

Penetration by larger numbers of objects is rarer and generally not named, with two exceptions, which are likely physically impossible:

Double vaginal, double anal penetration (DVDA): simultaneous penetration of the vagina and anus of a single woman by two penises each. The term gained popularity after its inclusion in the movie Orgazmo by South Park co-creator Trey Parker, and is also the name of Parker's and Matt Stone's band.
Triple-Double: Multiple penetration of a single woman by six penises. Two penises in the mouth, vagina, and anus simultaneously.