Although it is a slow night at Maloney's Tavern in Tempe, a small line is beginning to form outside the women's restroom as four women impatiently wait for their turns. A man walking into the men's room across from them yells, "Hey is there sex in there?" His cackles echo as he closes the door to the men's room.
The women roll their eyes as they scoff at his remark. But then they pause. Slowly they bend down to peek underneath one of the two stalls in the cramped bathroom. To their surprise, they see two sets of feet in the handicapped stall, one with pants wrapped around what are obviously masculine ankles while another pair of pants lay crumpled on the floor.
After a few minutes, the couple clamors out, ducking out of the bathroom with smiles on their faces. There's no denying they've stirred up some excitement for an ordinarily dull Tuesday night at the bar.
While some may be appalled by the thought of getting down in a dirty public restroom, to the college set, it has become the equivalent of joining the "mile-high club" for the college set.
Maloney's bartender Renee Miller says such encounters are common, especially on slow nights.
"People get drunk and they'll drag each other into the stalls," says Miller, who has worked at Maloney's for over a year. She says usually no one attempts to stop the couples, depending on whether other people complain about it.
"If it's a good customer, then whatever," she says. "But if it's loud and out of control then we'll knock on the door and ask them to come out."
According to art sophomore Aubrie Oliver, public restrooms are one of many popular sites for horny college students.
"I've seen people having sex in public, on more then one occasion," she says. "They do it in all sorts of places; movies, parks, public bathrooms, parking lots, the list goes on."
Christopher Berriz, an aerospace engineering senior and founder of the "Thrill Sex Addicts" group on facebook.com, says that there are many positive aspects to having sex in public places.
Berriz says that he has had public sex over six times at ASU -- in the Memorial Union during lunch time in a stairwell, Lot 59 during the afternoon and at Hayden Library.
"The first couple times it was kind of scary," he says. "But then it became a challenge not to get caught. You try doing it in riskier places and your fears are heightened. It became a game."
Berriz says he never got caught and that having sex in public was beneficial to his relationship.
"It was a very vulnerable position for both of us," he says. "You have to trust the other person. It was a good relationship builder."
Kathleen Waldron, faculty member in the College of Human Services and expert in human sexuality agrees that public sex could have positive aspects.
"It can add novelty and excitement to a relationship," says Waldron. She adds that she herself wouldn't seek a public restroom for a late night rendezvous.
"It is definitely not the kind of environment I am looking for for an intimate encounter! Just the icky, dirt-factor alone [is gross]," she says.
John Sutton, police commander for ASU public safety, says that while public sex acts can result in serious consequences, having sex in a discreet location, such as a bathroom, could be less trouble.
"A person has to be reckless about whether a person would be offended or alarmed by the act [of having sex]," says Sutton.
But if someone is hiding in a discreet place, their actions may not be necessarily considered reckless, he says.
"For example, if someone were to make out in a car in front of a daycare center during the daytime, that would be reckless," he says. "But if you do the same thing in the middle of the night, it might not be considered reckless."
Berriz admits that the thought of getting in trouble with the law did cross his mind.
"I wouldn't do anything to get myself in jail," he says.
However, Berriz does advise others to try it, and says that a hidden stairwell in the basement of the Memorial Union was his location of choice.
"It's good to start out slow because if you do get caught, it might not be a good experience for you," he says. "I would definitely recommend that people at least try it."
Reach the reporter at mani.obrien@asu.edu.
