WANNA EDGE?: If You're Gay, Doing Sexy Stuff in the Mirror Takes Auto-Eroticism to a Whole New Level

Welcome to WANNA EDGE? – EDGE's deep-dive into sex and sexuality by Jake Myers, a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist living in Los Angeles, Calif.

If you're attracted to people of the same sex, you're in luck!

Not only does queer culture embrace a sex-positive attitude towards exploration with lots of partners, but as someone attracted to the same gender as your own, we get the unique advantage of being turned on by...well, ourselves! Whether you're an adolescent locking himself in his bedroom for hours with a box of Kleenex, or a healthy, sexually-active adult, gay people have a distinctive opportunity when it comes to self-pleasuring – getting off on our own reflection in the mirror.

If you like men, and you're looking at a man in the mirror (you!), that's a lot more exciting than if you were a straight guy looking at yourself, hoping to see the image of a hot chick reflected back at you. Sure, getting off on yourself might sound a little narcissistic, but male body parts are male body parts, and when we see ourselves, it can remind us of the features we love about the male physique. A bicep, a happy trail, a torso; all things that might turn us on in someone else.

Beyond that, a gay person seeing a reflection of themselves can create an entire fantasy about what's playing out in the mirror. After all, even though it's your own image, you're seeing a guy who's getting off, something you might enjoy seeing your boyfriend do, or your latest Grindr conquest. In a way, it's like you're watching gay porn, but you're the director and you're also the actor! It's your very own live solo scene.

If you're up for it, you can take the fantasy even further. Perhaps, you might imagine that what you're seeing in the reflection is actually what someone else is seeing, and it's your job to turn that (imaginary) person on. Or, if you really want to get the creative juices flowing, you might imagine that the person you're watching is an entirely different person altogether, and you've met up to watch each other hook up in the sauna. Think of it as role play, only you're playing both roles in the scene.

Sure, watching ourselves might not be as exciting and stimulating as seeing the hot guy you've been eying at the gym, after all, we probably see our naked body almost every day. But that doesn't mean it can't still be titillating, and if we have this unique advantage of being turned on by our own gender, why not enjoy that little perk that comes with being queer?

And, by the way, this isn't just for the boys, either.