S01E03 – “Practice” ft. Alexander Cheves

OVERVIEW: They say practice makes perfect — and when it comes to sex, I couldn’t agree more. In this episode, join me, Dr. Trevor Hoppe, as I sit down with the incredible Alexander Cheves, author of “My Love is a Beast” and longtime sex columnist for “The Advocate.” We dive deep into his wild journey navigating sex, kink, and fisting, and explore how meaningful practice and experienced partners can transform sexual exploration.

From growing up on a conservative Southern Baptist farm to cruising gas stations and finding himself in Berlin’s legendary kink scene, Alexander doesn’t hold back. We talk about the power of fisting orgasms, setting boundaries (even when it’s messy), and how the best sex takes patience, experience, and a little self-love along the way.

If you’re ready to level up your sex life, tune in for Alexander’s candid stories and actionable advice — because good sex takes practice, but the best sex? That takes intention.

TRANSCRIPT:

Trevor Hoppe (00:09)
Hey, welcome to the Best Gay Sex Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Trevor Hoppe. Today’s episode is about practice. They say that practice makes perfect. And you know, I think that’s true when it comes to sex Just imagine, if you needed relationship advice, would you call up your friend who’s been single their whole life? Mm-mm. I don’t think so. Not your best bet. And the same is true when it comes to sex. We need to learn…

from partners with experience. The more the better. You know, I think there’s a word for people with lots of sexual experience that it rhymes with glut. Okay, okay, stupid, I know, bad joke, but you get the point. Experience is key. And as we’re gonna hear about today, that is especially true when it comes to kink and BDSM practices.

Trevor Hoppe (00:59)
Today’s guest, Alexander Cheves, has been writing and thinking about queer sex for well over a decade. Through his Sexy Beast column for the Advocate Magazine and his book, My Love is a Beast, Alexander has become an icon of the queer, kink, and fisting communities. But he didn’t get there overnight. It took

practice. In today’s episode, he reflects on his journey learning from partners and practicing with partners with more experience than him. Let’s listen in.

Trevor Hoppe (01:33)
Alexander Cheves, welcome to the Best Gay Sex Podcast.

Alexander Cheves (01:36)
Yay, I’m excited to be here. I love love gay sex

Trevor Hoppe (01:39)
Yes, gay sex is the best. I am really grateful for you making the time to come talk about how you have sort of figured out how to have the best gay sex of your life. And I was listening to a little bit of the interviews you’ve done recently and I learned that you grew up in Zambia a little bit and I did not know that.

Alexander Cheves (02:00)
Yes, my parents were missionaries, actually. Very conservative Southern Baptists. So that shaped, in many ways, my youth and my identity.

Trevor Hoppe (02:16)
And was part of that process or experience, were you having, were you becoming aware of being a queer person during that time? Or was that something that happened later in life for you?

Alexander Cheves (02:27)
It happened back in the States.

When I came back to the US, me and my sister both really struggled around kids our own age. And we both kind of mutually thought that it was because we were so culturally disconnected from other kids our age. We didn’t know any of the same music, we weren’t like really socialized for American culture at that time. And we didn’t know like any music, any pop culture references. We were very, very sheltered on top of that because our parents were conservative Christians.

And I think that we both, so we both had very awkward, ugly duckling phases there for a while where we just didn’t know how to behave around kids of our own age. And we both assumed that it was because of Africa. And later it’s because we were both queer. Me and my sister both realized like, we were both just gay and didn’t, and like many young gay kids, we didn’t even know how to like live in our own bodies yet.

Trevor Hoppe (03:14)
Hahaha.

Alexander Cheves (03:26)
And it seemed that that process just happened so much later and slower for us than it did for other kids.

Trevor Hoppe (03:26)
Mm -hmm.

Yeah, definitely. I can appreciate that. So once you started to become aware of that, like what was the, I presume there’s some tension there, right? With your conservative Christian folks and family upbringing, like how did you navigate that, like that sexual awakening as a queer person?

Alexander Cheves (03:50)
Well, my family lives on a farm in Georgia. So after we traveled the world, we moved back to this farm in the middle of Georgia, about an hour from Atlanta. And I heard the word gay in Sunday school, because a kid raised their hand and asked a question about gay people. And so that was the first time that the word was explained to me in the same breath that…

Trevor Hoppe (04:05)
Mm -hmm.

Alexander Cheves (04:15)
I learned what gay meant, I learned that it was a sin and that it was punishable by hell or whatever. And I knew in that moment that that’s what I was. So like, the minute the word concept presented itself to me, I knew I was gay. Or at least I knew that the word had some kind of like…

Trevor Hoppe (04:34)
without even like…

I’m just curious, like, was there an understanding of how did you know what that meant in the moment?

Alexander Cheves (04:36)
Yeah, I get it.

Well, I remember the Sunday school teacher, her name was like Cece or something. And she was this kind of very matronly older woman. And when she said in her very kind of Southern accent that that gay is a man who likes is two men. I was like, I have a crush on my friend David at school. And that means it’s me.

And I knew that, like, maybe I didn’t know in that moment, but my visceral response to the word proved that it was something to me. I remember climbing up in a tree on the farm and daring myself to say the word gay, like, out loud. It was like a curse word. And just a word that charges you in that way, it has to mean something, I mean.

And I was old enough then to like put it together that if I’m having such a strong reaction to just a word, there’s probably something there. And I had a crush on David. I had a crush on my classmate. And he didn’t love me back.

Trevor Hoppe (05:47)
David, we all had those, I mean, many of us for sure, I had the same experience, like my neighbor for sure, I remember crushing on and what, like, did, I assume, you know, you never, David never probably became aware of that crush, right? Like that’s not something you expressed.

Alexander Cheves (06:05)
David did actually. Yeah. Yeah. I got a friend, a mutual friend, a friend of David’s who ended up being my best friend for, is still one of my best friends in life. one of David’s friends I became friends with in order for him to relay the message. And yeah, and David.

Trevor Hoppe (06:08)
Scandal. What happened?

That’s so tender.

Alexander Cheves (06:33)
Right. And David was not interested and did not even really merit it with the response. Did not even really even acknowledge it. But then I became really good friends with his friend whose name was Russell and Russell and I were, and then Russell and David kind of stopped being friends. And then Russell and I became really good friends. And, and, and I think I was really unbearable during like high school, but Russell really put up with me and he’s a good friend. So.

Trevor Hoppe (07:00)
of and did you start to have sexual experiences at that time or was that something that that came later?

Alexander Cheves (07:07)
No, I did start at, I mean, I started really young. My first sexual experience was when I was 10. And then the next was like 13, which was like, 13 was actually like full sex, which is just kind of crazy to me now in hindsight, how young I was. And then in high school, I…

It’s kind of the story of my life. I started these very problematic and in hindsight, probably they were probably predatory relationships. There were these older men in town who…

I knew they were gay and they knew I was gay and they knew I was in the closet and they worked at the local. There were two that I had different relationships with and they were a couple and they, one of them worked at the local gas station near my high school. And they were much older than me and they introduced me to like douching and cigarettes and drugs and like kind of gave me the crash course about everything. And we’re really.

Looking back now, I can realize they were probably really messy, dark people. But that ended up kind of being the tenor of my sex life for a while, is kind of falling in with these, in hindsight, probably not the best people, but always much older and much more advanced and experienced. And so then I became pretty advanced and experienced at a relatively young age. So.

Trevor Hoppe (08:42)
And how did you, did you, do you feel like you pursued those experiences or like how did they come to be?

Alexander Cheves (08:50)
I met them in like attempts at dating. And I don’t honestly remember how I met the guy at the gas station. I think I probably just filled up my truck there after school and he was probably just there working behind the counter or something. Yeah, I don’t think anybody introduced us. There were a couple of situations where like,

a teacher who knew I was gay who recommended this other gay student in this other county and I wasn’t going to go all that far away and they were my age and I wasn’t interested in guys my age and I don’t know I liked older guys I liked men you know and at that time especially and I kind of fell in with this guy 10 plus years older than me who worked at the local Flying J.

And that’s kind of how it happened.

Trevor Hoppe (09:46)
I love it. And this is pre – well, internet existed at this time, but it sounds like maybe you weren’t on there looking for sex.

Alexander Cheves (09:55)
Not at all. We didn’t really have, we lived really literally in the middle of nowhere on a 500 acre farm. I didn’t have internet that wasn’t dial up until I went to college, which was in 2010. And even then on the internet that we did have at home, which was dial up internet, my parents had installed this parental blocker system that was released by, do you know Promise Keepers?

Trevor Hoppe (10:02)
Mm.

Alexander Cheves (10:23)
sort of Christian men’s organization. My dad was a big devout member and they had this, they recommended Net Nanny, which was like this parental blocker for your internet and nothing got through it. So I would try to like find dial -up porn, which is very hard as it is. And nothing could get past this, internet blocker and it pinged your parents if you like attempted to do something. So yeah, it was.

Trevor Hoppe (10:25)
Mm -hmm.

Alexander Cheves (10:50)
Yeah. So, so basically like porn didn’t happen or, and I didn’t even know that the internet was a tool to find sex until some time into college. I mean, and this was 2010, like this was late and like, this is recent history. like the year that Grindr hit the app store is the year that I realized that the internet has chat rooms and porn.

Trevor Hoppe (10:57)
Wow.

Yeah.

I love that. I mean, that’s like, you had like a very like almost pre internet experience even in the kind of world of it. So it often kind of differentiates, I think us like how we like the internet facilitates a certain kind of bandwidth to learning about sexuality. And when you’re, you don’t have that, you know, it means, yeah, you you’re meeting folks at gas stations and kind of learning in a very different way, you know, what, what this world is like.

Alexander Cheves (11:17)
Right.

I mean it was kind of cruising. You know?

Trevor Hoppe (11:47)
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, that’s like a.

Alexander Cheves (11:50)
Like in high school, I was without even knowing what these terms meant or their sort of historical meaning, I was kind of meeting guys the old fashioned way. Yeah, it was nice.

Trevor Hoppe (12:03)
That’s amazing. Yeah, totally. And so once you’re in college, you start experimenting. How did you find sex to be? Like what were the experiences that you remember that were like defining that you think back and like this was kind of a seminal moment in my sexual development?

Alexander Cheves (12:25)
Defining.

I don’t know if any sexual experience was super defining in terms of my understanding of sex, but a conversation about sex was very defining. Kids didn’t really talk about sex you just kind of had sex and didn’t talk to other kids about the sex you were having or how much. And I remember the first, really the first conversation I had with other people my age.

about sex was outside on the lawn of the sophomore dorms. And it was me and a bunch of other kids my age, you know, my peers, and it was very much a mixed crowd. It was, my friends were very mixed between straight and queer at that time. And I remember we started asking each other how many people we had sex with. And…

Trevor Hoppe (13:17)
Hmm.

Alexander Cheves (13:18)
I was the first person to answer and thinking that I was giving a very normal answer I said, at least a hundred.

Trevor Hoppe (13:26)
Mm.

Alexander Cheves (13:27)
And, and I don’t actually know if that was true. I don’t know how far off from truth it was, but I was like, yeah, I mean, I’ve, I’ve hooked up a lot. Like what else do you do on the weekend? You know, like it had already been two years in college by that point. In fact, that might’ve even been a third year of college. and I’m not really sure if that was my sophomore, junior year, but I, you know, I had been in college for a couple of years. I had discovered.

Trevor Hoppe (13:38)
Hahaha.

Alexander Cheves (13:52)
apps and sex and cruising and going to the bar and having sex in the toilet. And I discovered sex really quickly and very aggressively. And I kind of assumed that everybody else was having sex to the same amount. And then I remember kind of saying, okay, I estimate like about a hundred and the group just fell quiet. And my friends, I remember the two girls were like, just…

beside themselves and my friend Leah said, Alex, that’s really dangerous. Like you should really slow down. Like that’s a lot. And it was the first time that I actually felt shamed for the amount of sex I was having or even realized that there was such a thing as slut shaming. It was the first time I learned that people walk around having this idea about what is a normal amount of sex and might.

Trevor Hoppe (14:21)
Ha!

Mm -hmm.

Alexander Cheves (14:48)
judge somebody who has a different amount. And that shaped me a lot because I remember being really toying over that in my mind thinking like, this felt so normal to me and yet it’s abnormal to people who are my age and why is that so? And that was, I kind of think the very seeds of what later ended up being my career.

Trevor Hoppe (15:11)
Right? Yeah, it kind of planted that seed for sure. And you are now paving the way to breaking down that shame, which I obviously love. I think that’s amazing. But that’s really real. I love that kind of naivety of just like not understanding that a hundred is a number that most people don’t reach in their lifetime. And it is, it is jarring sometimes to talk to straight people, you know, generally straight people, not all straight people, of course, but by and large,

you know, there are big differences in lifetime numbers of partners. Oh my gosh. And they kind of, they’re like, holy cow. So at that time, as you’re kind of figuring out what you like, it sounds like you hit the road pretty quickly. What were you using terms like top or bottom to describe your own sexuality?

Alexander Cheves (15:44)
See you guys soon.

Yes, I was. And I initially described myself as a total top because of shame. I’m very, very sure it was because I kind of had this idea that being a top was one click closer to being straight.

Trevor Hoppe (16:09)
Mmm.

Being a man.

Alexander Cheves (16:23)
And being a man, yeah. And that was born of shame. But I ended up having sex with this really hung, he was a cop, which didn’t bug me then, bugs me now, but he was like my first regular sex partner. And he was very closeted. I mean, when I say like country boy, I mean, he had like grizzly chewing tobacco in his truck, lived like,

Trevor Hoppe (16:25)
Meh.

Alexander Cheves (16:52)
and the marshes outside Savannah. His idea of going, of having a good time was going to Charleston because he could kind of be out there. Cause he was totally DL and hung like a horse and he, in hindsight, he didn’t really know how to top. He just kind of jackhammered, but he was my first like regular sex partner and he was a total top. And I was like, okay, I guess now I have to learn how to bottom. And did

Trevor Hoppe (16:56)
yeah.

Alexander Cheves (17:19)
And that was the first time that I thought, I think I like this.

Trevor Hoppe (17:22)
That’s exciting. So I mean, you have this experience, it kind of changes your relationship to these terms. How has that changed over your life? It sounds like you were a top, then you does that mean you started to identify more as a bottom over time?

Alexander Cheves (17:37)
I kind of went from total top to total bottom and things got muddled when I kind of started doing sex work, which started at a very young age. Like I wasn’t even old enough to go to a bar yet. I was going to bars under a fake ID. So I was 19 when I had my first client, although I wouldn’t have called them a client. I didn’t really even know what sex work was. It was just…

Trevor Hoppe (17:49)
Hmm.

Alexander Cheves (18:05)
here’s money for sex and I wanted money and I was a kid. And I did that kind of casually for several years. And then in total, my total sex work career was over 10 years or right at 10 years.

With sex work, I mostly topped. I found it was easier, I mean, a lot of sex workers will tell you, like, it’s just easier to find work, especially in cities like LA, New York, San Francisco, cities that I lived in after college. Sex work required me to keep my hand in the topping pool. And over time, I felt that those terms split very much for me because work was topping.

Trevor Hoppe (18:29)
Mm -hmm.

Mm -hmm.

Alexander Cheves (18:47)
And so my personal life was bottoming. And when I quit sex work, which only happened, what, in 2021 or 2022? So I guess last year, the year before, was my last year working in sex. And I had to kind of re, and I’m still in the process of rediscovering my topside.

as it exists apart from sex work. Because it became so closely, topping became so closely connected to a job and bottoming became so personal that they didn’t have any overlap. And I would never top if I wasn’t getting paid. And now I’m actually learning that I do like to top, but it’s a new discovery for me. It’s a new journey.

Trevor Hoppe (19:39)
Yeah, I mean, I guess there’s something about bottoming that also just feels, I don’t know, maybe this is just my own, maybe I could pose this more as a question. Like, do you think bottoming is more intimate, feels more intimate and personal than topping almost necessarily? Or I don’t know necessarily is the word, just it’s something about it to me in my experience that just hits home in a different, I can’t even express it. It’s like, I don’t have the words, you know.

Alexander Cheves (20:07)
Yeah, I’ve wondered that too. I think that it’s easier to do detached topping or to perform literally to perform to fake as a top. Whereas bottoming, the amount of work and preparation that goes into it, like it’s a commitment that I just don’t see anybody faking bottoming unless they really, you know, want to.

bottom, which is why I think sex work and topping go so well together. A lot of sex work is a performance. A lot of it is acting. And as part of that performance, you are delivering this fantasy of a top. And I don’t know, you’re right, bottoming does, I feel like bottoming is harder. So it puts, you have to like really want to do it to do it.

Trevor Hoppe (20:55)
Yeah, I don’t –

right? And when I’m watching porn, I feel like I can, there’s something about how the bottom is reacting and experiencing it that I can be like, they’re, they’re actually a bottom and they’re actually enjoying it or like, that’s a porn star who is like muddling through somehow.

Alexander Cheves (21:13)
yeah, yeah, you can tell.

Trevor Hoppe (21:14)
You know, I don’t know, maybe you really, I feel like I can tell, but maybe it’s like gaydar, like it’s not real and it’s just in my head. But so, I mean, speaking of like not being able to tell or performance and kind of faking it, like part of my kind of mantra and thinking around sex is that part of figuring out what you like is figuring out what you don’t like along the way.

maybe just to start, can you think about a time going back as far as you like, where you walked away from an experience feeling like, you know, that was bad sex?

Alexander Cheves (21:53)
my God. I mean, so many, so many like.

Trevor Hoppe (21:57)
I know, right? I know. The list is probably long.

Alexander Cheves (22:00)
Well, I mean, also with you factor in sex work, it skews the data so much because clients, especially when I was younger and newer to sex work clients, clients believe that they have by virtue of paying you, they believe that they have unlimited access to your body and that consent no longer applies after cash is handed over and.

Trevor Hoppe (22:26)
Hmm.

Alexander Cheves (22:26)
they are surprised even like, you know, progressive experienced, nice clients are still surprised when you do exercise your no, even after transaction after deposit, after planning. and there was a time when I certainly, and I think I still struggle with this. I still, I still deliver a soft no. It’s something that I learned from 10 years of sex work. I

It’s an American, I’m not realizing living in Europe, it’s a very American thing for me. I don’t have a blunt, hard no. I try to let people down gently. I think that comes from sex work. I spent a long time just kind of trying to shrug off and play off unwarranted and unwanted touch and unwanted affection. And with clients, a lot of sex was bad because they…

would get really physical or really aggressive or move really fast and do things that I wasn’t comfortable with and that I didn’t want to do. And I didn’t know then how to say no. And I didn’t think I could because I was a sex worker. Most of the non -consensual and just flat bad sex came in sex work. I’m really lucky to say that. I think that in my personal life, I’ve had mostly…

Mostly good sex and good sex partners. I mean, there is just bad sex every now and then. Like you can’t get fully clean or guys, you know, maybe there’s just no connection, but the experiences that were legitimately scary and were legitimately lessons and taught me something about bad sex, like we’re always the ones that involve clients. Like I’ve had guys.

put drugs on their dick and then get me high without my consent or awareness during sex. And then they get more time, because I get high and I don’t realize that they’re getting me high. And then they get, you know, they pay for two hours and I’m there for six because I’m high. And I mean, that has happened more than once. You know, those are the kinds of experiences where I left those realizing like, yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (24:39)
That’s f***ed up.

Alexander Cheves (24:40)
Yeah, like that’s bad sex Yeah, like scary sex. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (24:44)
So it sounds like for you, a lot of it was about figuring out how to draw those boundaries with clients in particular.

Alexander Cheves (24:52)
Yeah, and still is. I think I’m still in it.

Trevor Hoppe (24:54)
And do you…

And so I guess over time, is there a way that you found, and I guess this could be applicable, I’m sure, both to people doing sex work and people not doing sex work. How do you draw those boundaries with partners in advance?

Alexander Cheves (25:09)
Hmm, well…

I do tell sex workers to enforce some very specific rules. No drugs. That will get you less clients. A lot of clients want to be high when you meet, but you kind of just…

To avoid those situations, you do have to kind of say like, no drugs, and if any evidence of drugs, I leave, and you know. But,

Trevor Hoppe (25:33)
Mm -hmm.

Alexander Cheves (25:35)
Yeah, I mean, in one’s personal life, you know, I don’t know if the no drugs rule has to apply. I mean, I don’t fully abide by that in my personal life, but…

You know, it does take time to learn what you do and don’t want. And I think that most people in that journey of learning what they do and don’t want will.

only learn their boundaries by having experiences that cross them. You know?

Trevor Hoppe (25:59)
Right, yeah, I think that’s kind of a key and it’s complicated, right? Because you wanna protect yourself from those invasions, but you don’t always know what those invasions are. So it’s hard to kind of preempt them. Yeah, exactly. what tips I guess would you have for young queer people who are trying to find that…

Alexander Cheves (26:09)
Until they happen. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (26:21)
to get to the best sex and they feel like they’re just having bad sex, right? They’re like, how do they cross that river to get to the good side?

Alexander Cheves (26:31)
Hmm, I get a lot of questions, you know, both on my blog and through social media from people who I think are at the early stage of that. And there’s no easy answer because you learn how to have sex over time and it’s a big learning curve.

And that’s surprising to people because you think that sex, we all operate under this myth when we’re young, that sex and pleasure, because they’re natural things, they’re natural human behaviors, should come naturally to us. And they don’t. That’s a myth. That’s not true. You have to learn how to have good sex And the body isn’t, bodies aren’t just synchronized. You know, sex isn’t just…

sex, it’s communication and experience and expectation and expectation management and, and it’s sex is a skillset that you learn over time. And you really have to put in the time and the work and the practice and the failures in order to get to a level where you can be like, okay. Now I’m good at sex Now I’m having good sex I think you do have to get through some bad sex to learn how to have good sex And,

You know, I think sex is one of those areas like any other form of learning where you need a lot of practice and you need to accept that there will be mistakes and there will be failures. And I don’t know if you can or even should avoid all of them because that’s kind of how you learn, right? I hope that nobody gets hurt. I hope that nobody gets, you know.

I became HIV positive at 21. So now I tell everybody like, it can happen, you know, use a condom, get tested, or take PrEP even better, which wasn’t really available when I was 21. But, you know, that requires access to a clinic that requires.

some knowledge of sex going into it that requires you to do a little bit of research. And if you’re in a conservative place or in a place where no one’s taught you about sex, how can you have this knowledge? How can you make these decisions? Sex is a difficult thing to learn. I think that’s why many people only grow sexually confident and proficient late, because it just takes years of learning and missteps to kind of get there. And I don’t think there are any shortcuts.

You know, maybe reading or, you know, internet research or reading the right blogs or listening to the right people can help, but you don’t, you know, I get a lot of questions from guys who want to be very advanced bottoms and they want to start taking fists and huge dicks and huge toys like as quickly as possible. And I tell them like there’s no shortcut like, and, and any attempt to do that any faster than is natural will get you hurt.

That’s where injuries come from. You kind of have to put in the time and put in the training and put in the toys and go slow, and learn you and like handle the speed bumps when they come. Cause they will come. You will get anal fissures. You will get, you will go too rough. You won’t use enough lube. Like you need that’s true of all sex, not just bottoming, but bottoming is a good example. You do need this slow build over time to get to a level of confidence. And I.

I don’t think there’s a shortcut to that.

Trevor Hoppe (30:02)
Yeah, it sounds like patience is a virtue and I hear that fully. It’s kind of shocking when you think about it that like, cause the quantity of sex that you’re talking about, right, is more, exponentially more than most people will have, many people will have in their lifetime, right? And so you think, gosh, is everybody else just walking around having, do people never get to the good sex? Right? It makes you wonder, it makes me wonder, certainly. Like, and I know that, yeah.

Alexander Cheves (30:29)
Most people.

Trevor Hoppe (30:31)
I know. So I want to be an evangelist for getting to the good stuff.

I’m just curious, if you have an encounter with someone that you feel like for whatever reason goes bad, are you willing to go back for seconds?

Alexander Cheves (30:48)
Yes.

Trevor Hoppe (30:49)
Hmm. And what about an encounter would make you willing to do that?

Alexander Cheves (30:51)
No.

Hmm, that’s a really good question. That actually gonna happen recently. I’m really into fisting and I would say that now like 75 % of my sex life is fisting, if not more. And, fisting now is gonna skew my answer even more than like regular sex, cause I feel like a bad top.

is only going to be so bad. Like, you know, like, you know, like a bad top might be too, might not be good at sex, but he’s not going to physically risk injury. He’s not going to like risk really hurting you. Whereas a bad fist top can send you to the emergency room, can send you, can, you know, and every fister who’s been fisting for any amount of time knows guys who have been sent to the ER, who have had, you know, colostomy bags like.

I know guys with their abdomen stitched up. So, you know, it happens, you know, and you, you learn, you know, people to whom this happens. So the risks are higher when you, when you have a bad fist top And so I’m more critical of bad sex when it comes to fisting. I’m, I’m less permissive of somebody. I’m less permissive of just basic ignorance and incompetence.

Like with, with regular sex, if someone’s a beginner and they are just kind of playing and experimenting, I’m not a beginner anymore, but I’ll play with the beginner. I feel like with regular sex as a top or as a bottom, I might be able to teach them something and you know, give them, or just give them, give them that practice, give them that experience. I’m not that permissive when it comes to fisting because my, my body, my health is on the line. And very recently.

recently as in a few months ago, I played with a fist top who was so rough and so aggressive that I actually left without finishing and I sent him a text message and a very long text message and I tried to word it very carefully in German and because he didn’t speak English and I texted him, you know,

You’re lucky that I was as advanced as I am because I’m, I’m fine. Like you went too rough and too fast for me. And I’ve been doing this for 10 years. If you do this, if you did what you did to me, to somebody who’s brand new to fisting, you’re going to send them to the emergency room. You’re going to really hurt somebody. And you might not realize that. I think that he eroticizes the roughness and the aggression, but you can’t do that. You know, these are people’s, this is people’s health that is on the line.

this is surgery, you know? and you can’t do that. And that started a dialogue and started a discussion and that wasn’t the last time we spoke. And I told him like, look, he was very sexy. I think he did fist a lot. I think he was just way too rough that time. And I said, okay, you know what? I’ll, I’ll meet again, but you kind of have to agree to certain terms. Like you, you have to go slow. I’m not really into.

XYZ. I have to, I basically had to state the terms of interaction for our next encounter and he abided by them. So I gave him a second chance and ended up being really great sex. So, and it’ll definitely happen again. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (34:24)
I love that. That’s fabulous. And I think that feedback is oftentimes we’re really scared to offer that honest feedback, I think, or at least I know I am with partners because you, you know, you just don’t know how guys are going to take it. And sometimes guys take feedback really poorly and they get angry or whatever. But, you know, men are not the best at like hearing that they’ve done something wrong, right? Or admitting that or taking accountability for it. So.

I think the future men who get fisted by this guy, thank you, right, for that feedback, because I’m sure it’s really critical for them to get better at what they’re doing and to hear that, just like to hear that someone had that experience, especially in that, when it gets rough stuff, like they think it’s, I don’t know, you get attached to these porn fantasies or these kind of scripts from erotic stories or

or Tumblr, whatever, but fantasy is not reality and you have to kind of remind people of your body, the reality of that. So I think that that’s great. And that transitions really nicely to talking about the best sex, right? Because it kind of became a good story for you thinking back, is there a partner or an experience or context where you think this is where,

Alexander Cheves (35:33)
Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (35:52)
you know, this is a time or a context where I had the best sex.

Alexander Cheves (35:55)
OOF

I don’t know, I’m really lucky, I’ve had a lot of really good sex. Well…

Fisting, I love more than regular sex, and so I put the whole category of fisting over, you know, what I call regular sex or dick and ass sex. I used to be very kinky. Like I used to be, when I say kinky, I mean like into like bondage and leather and BDSM and, you know, sadomasochism and I had like really…

Trevor Hoppe (36:12)
Yeah.

Alexander Cheves (36:30)
Especially for that age that I was then I had like really kind of heavy serious kinks and I actually evolved out of that which You never really don’t you don’t hear a lot of people say that you hear a lot of people say I became I’ve become really kinky and now I feel like there’s a lot of people who don’t want to say too loud that they aren’t as kinky as they used to be and that’s certainly me I’m not as kinky as I used to be. I’m just into fisting I’m not into leather or

You know, I’m not into like corporal punishment or, you know, isolation or any of the heavy stuff I used to do. So my sex has only gotten better the more I’ve, the more I have learned to do just what I love and not, cause when I discovered fisting, I discovered fisting as part of the sort of fetish BDSM world.

It was lumped in with alternative sex, right? And so I thought that to be into fisting, I also have to have a leather fetish and be into rubber and be into whipping and flogging and paddling and all this other stuff. And that they all were kind of this like lump community. And I had to kind of sample all of it. Well, I did sample all of it and I actually realized, okay, I’m actually just in the. so and coming to Berlin two years ago,

Trevor Hoppe (37:24)
Mm -hmm.

Hahaha.

Alexander Cheves (37:51)
Like if my sex life was kind of cruising along, it like jumped up a level in Berlin because I feel like Berlin’s just, not only are there, not only is kink and fetish and fisting in particular so widespread here, but I think that people, because Berlin has a reputation for sex, people move here to play at a more serious level, to play at a heavier level. And it’s had that reputation for a while to where now,

The benefit, one benefit of moving here is you do find a large community of people who are playing at a more, you know, at a more serious level. And so Berlin has, so my best act has happened in the last two years. And I can’t zero in on one particular encounter. There’s been some really good ones. There’s been some really funny ones. Yeah, I mean.

cause, cause fisting is ridiculous and stupid and it doesn’t make any sense. And why is it hot? I have no idea. Why does it work? I have no idea. and then when you add in a language barrier, it becomes even more non sensical sometimes. And, and yet here in Berlin, it’s just been fisting is, just think is great in Berlin. I have like a few, a handful of.

Trevor Hoppe (38:58)
Ha ha.

Ha ha ha.

Alexander Cheves (39:14)
you know, fisting regulars that I would collectively call my best sex. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (39:20)
I love that. That regular thing, I heard you say on another podcast that that’s kind of new for you, that you didn’t used to have regulars and now you’ve kind of cultivated that for yourself. What do you think changed? Why do you think now you seek out that kind of regularity?

Alexander Cheves (39:32)
Yeah.

For a very specific reason, because with fisting, every time you play with somebody new, you kind of have to relearn their body and relearn their limits every time. So you’re kind of starting from the beginning every time you play with somebody new. Playing with somebody new every time holds the risk that you’re going to encounter like a crazy person, you know, somebody who has no knowledge of safety or limits or boundaries and…

And so it’s actually just safer if you want to advance and, and, and I’m trying to advance and really, you know, focus on my fisting life. that has required regulars, just to kind of like, cause then it becomes almost like training, you know? So.

Trevor Hoppe (40:25)
Yeah, yeah, there’s almost this relationship to the kind of intensity of the play and that desire for or not even desire the, it’s not even convenience. There’s something else to it of just the regularity allows for probably a deeper level of exploration that would be possible with a newbie.

Alexander Cheves (40:47)
Yeah, yeah, like with a regular partner, they know where I’m at. They know my ability level. They can push me more safely. Like if I wanna try like, say I buy like, well, like this happened recently. I bought this big new toy and…

It’s bigger and longer than anything I’ve bought before. And it was kind of like an impulse purchase. And I was really surprised when I could actually like sit on it. and I was so proud of myself and I brought it to this regular fisting playmate that I have who has like 30 years of experience. He was fisting back in the seventies. And so he was truly like a fisting pro. And I was playing with him.

Trevor Hoppe (41:17)
hehe

Alexander Cheves (41:33)
And I was telling him to use the toy and like, and I was like, go harder, go deeper, like all the way, all the way. And he stopped and he said, I’m sorry, I have to interrupt the session. You’re not there yet. You’re telling me to push further than what I, he’s like, he’s like, I hear what you’re saying, but like I’m in your body right now. I’m reading your body and I know that you are pushing it. You’re trying to like.

go further than I know you can go to. And he said, and I’m telling you this as a friend and as someone who cares about you, slow down, you’re gonna get hurt. And he was like, you’re not immune from injury just because you’ve been doing this for 10 years. And he was like, I have friends who have been doing this for 20 years and they do get hurt. And he kind of schooled me. he put me in my place and he said, I’ve played with you many times. I know where you’re at. You need to…

Trust me and let me take over rather than telling me what to do because you’re telling me to go harder than what you can take. And it totally killed the mood. In hindsight, I texted him after and I said, you know, thank you so much for doing that. And you can only have that conversation with a regular, somebody who knows your body.

Trevor Hoppe (42:55)
Exactly. Yeah, it’s just someone who knows your limits and you trust. I think that trust thing is really key to being able to trust someone in that context is critical when the risks are more potentially high. So, I mean, it sounds like regularity has been one strategy to find that best sex, right? For you and to specifically within that fisting context.

Alexander Cheves (43:18)
review.

Trevor Hoppe (43:23)
Is it important to you or your partners whether people have orgasms in the context of your sexual encounters?

Alexander Cheves (43:31)
Whether I do or whether my partners do.

Trevor Hoppe (43:34)
Yeah, either one.

Alexander Cheves (43:35)
I still kind of always want my partners to cum. I might have a fisting orgasm, which is totally different. With fisting, I often don’t like ejaculate cum. In fact, a lot of times I don’t even get hard, but I do kind of always want my partners to cum just because I want to. That’s almost like a…

I think it’s almost for like my own validation to like, okay, I need evidence that you had a good time. So yeah, yeah, but I’m not, I’m not, I tell everybody, like, I’m not hard set on coming for myself. It’s not, it’s not a necessity for me.

Trevor Hoppe (44:07)
-huh.

And tell me about this fisting orgasm, because I heard you use that term in another podcast, and I don’t think people are familiar with that. So what is that experience like?

Alexander Cheves (44:28)
Whew, that’s a great question. One that I have been asked before. You should ask like 10 different fist bottoms to describe a fisting orgasm because you will get 10 different answers. People are surprised to learn that you can have an anal orgasm. And I’ve had anal orgasms from anal sex before where I orgasm from, you know, getting f***ed

They feel similar. The first time I had an anal orgasm was from fisting, but since then I’ve had anal orgasms from, you know, dick sex too. And they feel similar. Just the fisting orgasm feels a little bit more intense because it’s a bigger thing inside me. It’s more pressure. Me and my friend, Kellen, both describe ours very similarly. Kellen, on the internet, he’s known as Falcon Punch.

Trevor Hoppe (44:54)
from prostate simulation effectively. Yeah.

The pressure, yeah.

Alexander Cheves (45:20)
and he’s a fister in Chicago and we both can’t catch a breath and our whole body like shakes. I’m loud. He’s loud. We like yell and moan. and it’s just this like weird full body orgasm that may or may not, like I, we rarely ejaculate. There’s really like ejaculation. Most were not even hard, but it’s a full body kind of shaking, roaring orgasm from anal stimulation. And it’s very intense. I mean, I almost don’t like to do it in public. So like at like a sex party or in the back room of a club, because I’m so loud that like, it sounds like someone’s giving birth to a cow. Like I’m, I like yell. So I don’t like to do it at an event because people will like turn and look and be like, are you okay? I–No, I’m fine.

but yeah, that’s a, that’s a lot of people pee. So yeah, cause it’s definitely, yeah. Yeah. Cause if you think about it, yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (46:21)
yeah, you kind of lose control of bodily function. Yeah, yeah, it’s all near each other.

So do think, so I am not trained in tantric, like sex, that is not something I’ve ever taken classes in or really that familiar with, but that experience sounds almost kind of similar to the way that tantric gets talked about, that it’s like this sort of full body can become like a full body orgasm moment that’s not about your dick at all. I think that’s the thing that’s hard for

many men to understand is that our concept of the orgasm is so rooted in their phallus, right? And this is an experience that is rooted in your ass, right? It’s different.

Alexander Cheves (47:10)
Well, I think that that’s changing. I think that like sex toys for men, especially like prostate stimulation. When I worked for a sex toy company, the highest selling, the highest selling group of, you know, class category of toys were prostate stimulation toys, which aren’t really dildos. You know, a dildo might stimulate your prostate, but

It’s not really designed to do that. Whereas P -Spot toys, which are only as new as like the last, you know, 30 years, like they, they are a rapidly selling branch of the toy market. And that tells me that men who probably wouldn’t necessarily have anal sex are discovering that there’s a whole pleasure locus point in the a**

that, you know, through the prostate that’s only achieved through anal penetration. And I, and so I do, I hope that men are learning that there’s more ways to orgasm than just shooting a load. I mean, I would hope so. I, I feel like with the age of the internet, that’s that information is getting out there more, but maybe not. I don’t know.

Trevor Hoppe (48:26)
Well, it’s tough because you watch porn, right? And like, there’s only one depiction of, I mean, really, I mean, I don’t know that I’ve ever, I’d have to think about it. Have I ever seen an anal orgasm, a true anal orgasm in porn? I don’t watch fisting porn, so that’s, you know, I haven’t seen, I don’t know, is that something depicted in fisting porn? I’m really actually curious.

Alexander Cheves (48:48)
Actually, no, I don’t think so. I mean, well, because it might not, probably some fisting porn, but the problem with an anal orgasm is that it rarely comes with the visual of ejaculation. I feel like ejaculating is such a graphic visual. It’s literally called the money shot in porn. I mean, if you just kind of quiver and moan,

You’re feeling something amazing, but I don’t know if it’s that exciting to watch on camera. So no, I think there are a lot of, you know, orgasms on camera, which is a shame because, you know, I wish we saw that more, but that’s, that’s like one of the beautiful things that you see in real life that I don’t think porn could ever capture.

Trevor Hoppe (49:31)
Well, it’s kind of like the female ejaculation, right? It’s like this kind of mythical thing to some, I think. They’re like, does this really exist? And is it real? Is it just performative? And I think you’re here to say that it is real. It is not performative. And I am here for that because I think getting in touch with our butts is always a good thing, for sure.

So thank you for that, because I think many men need to hear that message for sure. So I think I kind of have a sense, but I’m curious if you had to put words to it, if you were going to like build a bear, a fantasy partner, like what would be the elements of them that would be the foundation to having the best sex

Alexander Cheves (49:59)
Thank you.

A partner as in like a sexual partner or a romantic partner?

Trevor Hoppe (50:25)
sexual partner.

Alexander Cheves (50:28)
because I would first clarify that for me, those are two very different things.

Well, I’m, I’m, I’m more bottom than top. Not 100 % bottom, I’m not a total bottom, but I am more bottom than top.

I guess someone who is a top who is not only physically attractive to me, but is someone I’m very attracted to people I can learn from people who have more skill than me or at least as much skill as I do and can now communicate as competently in sex as I can, but can.

back that up, you know, so guys have been, you know, guys have been fisting for some years, you know, or been topping for some time and they, you know, I mean, not even necessarily a fist top, although I would certainly put fist tops in like the dream category, but, but, but tops that have been topping long enough to kind of.

Trevor Hoppe (51:34)
Yeah.

Alexander Cheves (51:41)
have some some years on them you know they they have they’ve been doing this a while they know how to make a butt feel good

I mean, let’s face it, there’s no lighter way to say this. Like I’m a fist bottom. So if a guy is like looking for like a brand new type virginal hole, you know, I can’t, I’m not gonna be that. And when I meet a guy who I’ve played with guys and you know, they don’t want to say it, but you can, I know the look now in their eyes where they’re like, can you like…

Trevor Hoppe (52:02)
Ha ha ha ha ha.

Alexander Cheves (52:18)
squeeze, you know, and yeah, and I’ll just be like, well, this makes me feel, you know, sorry. I mean, I can’t change it. It’s my body. And, you know, and, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a sign of a novice top, but there, but you know, if a top knows how to like, please a skilled experienced hole and that’s certainly.

Trevor Hoppe (52:18)
Tighten up.

Alexander Cheves (52:42)
That’s certainly higher value to me than somebody who doesn’t know what to do when they start having sex with me. And I have enough of those that make me feel like, like it is, it is a point of insecurity. Like I’ve been having sex when I’ve been asking somebody like, does it, does it feel good? You know, and they, to their credit, they try to answer nicely, but I can tell they’re being nice and, and that’s not, I’m not interested in those guys. So.

Trevor Hoppe (53:04)
Yeah.

Yeah, amen. It sounds like because there’s all this rhetoric around tops and bottoms that bottoms kind of worship the top. But I wonder the way you just talked about it, it sounds like you actually also want a top who kind of you say make a butt feels good, but there’s there’s kind of a element of reciprocal. Worship is one word. Maybe you would use another word, but something like that that.

in a kind of ideal context that it’s kind of, there’s a circuit going on where it’s a feedback loop.

Alexander Cheves (53:46)
I want someone who wants to make me feel good. Yeah. And I want to, and I think that’s a really beautiful way to describe it. Good sex happens when both partners are committed to the other person’s pleasure. And there is this whole top worship thing that goes on that is absurd because, you know, sex that’s fully focused on the top’s pleasure.

won’t actually be good for the top. That won’t be satisfying sex You know, people are turned on by pleasing other people and you want to meet in that synchronicity where I’m trying to please him and he’s trying to please me and that feels really beautiful. And the thing is I like rough sex and even degrading sex and even in kinky degrading sex where there is…

a degree of power exchange, that doesn’t mean that I want someone who isn’t trying to make me feel good. Like you can be a dominant playmate and be in charge and be in control and still be focused on your bottom’s pleasure. In fact, I feel like the bad tops, the scary tops fall into the category of dominant tops who aren’t interested in bottom’s pleasure.

I’ve had plenty of those and they are not repeats. So…

Trevor Hoppe (55:11)
Yeah, yeah, that’s fair. Like, and good for you for knowing how to draw that line. Cause I think as a bottom, there’s just so much rhetoric around there that like your pleasure doesn’t matter. And it’s a fantasy, right? And I think people have a hard time differentiating the fantasy from the reality. Like, you know, actually I should be having sex that feels good, right? Like even if I’m participating in this degrading scene where that’s not.

on paper supposed to be happening, like that is happening in real life. So I appreciate that because I think especially in this gay world where top bottom gets so, people just get so caught up, it’s important to remember the reality of it. Cause why else are we having sex if it’s not gonna be good, right? Like, what’s the point? I don’t know. What…

Well, I think we’ve covered it to an extent and maybe, you know, it’s just something we’ve done. But just to nail it home for us, what would be your top tips for people listening to find the best sex?

Alexander Cheves (56:23)
My top tips.

There’s a few. Bottoming is very hard. And I don’t think that you necessarily learn how to be a better bottom by having more sex. Sex toys exist for a reason. And I think that they are… they are seen as kind of accoutrements of sex. When in fact, I think that beginner bottoms should shift their perspective of sex toys and see sex toys as…

solo toys that are primarily useful for training and for, you know, learning, learning your own body. I mean, God, it all goes back to RuPaul. If you can’t love yourself, like, which if you can’t please yourself, if you can’t know yourself, what feels good to your own body, then how are you ever going to be able to communicate that to somebody else? I think that’s.

as true with love as it is with sex And that’s why sex toys are so valuable, to know what sensations feel good in your own butt. And, you know, I don’t know how that would necessarily work for tops, but I mean, tops should cultivate a strong self -pleasure life. I think, you know, I know tops that, I do know a few tops that like,

Trevor Hoppe (57:28)
Hm hm.

Alexander Cheves (57:41)
mostly are having sex and they’re not heavy masturbators, they don’t watch a lot of porn, or they don’t have a solo seggsual relationship with themselves. I don’t think that they tend to be the best. I think that the best sex seggsual playmates have a strong seggsual relationship with self first, whether you’re top or bottom. And to cultivate that is this really rewarding life journey that I think everybody needs to go on. So…

Really prioritize self pleasure. Really learn your own body first. cause then you know, it feels good. and beyond that, I mean, that’s kind of the number one tip that I would say. I would say number two,

to have a lot of sex and to not silo yourself into this or that category. because sexual prowess, sexual confidence comes from years of experience. learn from partners. It’s okay to be ignorant about something. It’s okay to ask questions. Every sexual encounter can teach you something and should. and if you have partners that.

don’t like want to talk about sex, they just want to do it. I don’t know if you’re ever going to like get very far with them. You know, sex is just as much a dialogue and discussion as it is an activity and you want to learn from the people you’re playing with. And if you can find those people who can not only have sex with you, but also discuss the sex and assess the sex and discuss ways to make it better. I mean, really keep them, hold on to them. Cause those are the, those are the sex partners that you’ll grow from and learn from.

Trevor Hoppe (59:13)
Mm.

Alexander Cheves (59:17)
and that might not be a random grinder hookup, you know, there’s no way to face it, but the guy who walks in and f***s you and leaves might be fun, but you’re not going to grow from that encounter. you know, and I don’t think any, I don’t, that’s not to say that I think people should not have hot, intense, anonymous sex. I still do. I love that there’s a time and place for that. But when I was growing sexually, I needed people that I could grow with.

I think that’s how you get better. And then you just need time. You just need years. Another point would be… I mean, I feel like this is said enough, but it deserves saying again, porn is porn. It’s a fantasy. I’ve directed porn. I mean, even porn stars don’t have sex like this. Like, I have cleaned off so much shit and so many messes from porn sets.

that get totally edited out. Like porn stars don’t have perfect sex. There is no, like nobody has sex like this. It’s all editing. It’s all performance. And if you judge your own life by what you see in porn, especially with how easy porn is findable on Twitter, you will feel very defeated and you’ll feel very unadvanced. And I think that that doesn’t necessarily, it can be hot, but it doesn’t help anybody learn.

how to cultivate sex, good sex in real life. I fall into that trap. I follow all these fisters on Twitter. And when I, if I spend any amount of time on fisting Twitter, I think that I’m the most unadvanced 10 year fister I know. And that’s because the algorithm makes people who have these insane videos, you know, it seems like.

Trevor Hoppe (1:00:57)
Yeah, it pops. Yeah.

Alexander Cheves (1:00:59)
Yeah. And, and I think a lot of the fisters on Twitter that are really famous are competing and are playing to a dangerous level and they will get hurt. And they are trying to kind of like out impress the other by going deeper and harder and faster. And that’s not only not realistic, but dangerous. And I think that’s true for a lot of sex So don’t compare your sex life to what you see online. Compare it to.

Like, are you better than, are you, are you enjoying sex more than you did two years ago? I think that, and if you, and if that’s a yes, then you’re on the right track. And I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t seek any other validation than that, but you know, am I enjoying sex more than I used to? Yes. Okay. Keep going. yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (1:01:32)
Hmm.

toy, have a lot of sex, have sex with people you can grow with and don’t compare yourself to porn. That’s pretty fricking good rule book to live by. I love that. Thank you. So I’m going to end every interview segment with my favorite little ditty, Sordid Lives and Untold Tales, S.L.U.T. for short. What’s the sluttiest thing you ever did?

Alexander Cheves (1:01:56)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

What’s the sluttiest thing I ever did? Yeah, my god. The sluttiest thing I ever did.

Trevor Hoppe (1:02:14)
That’s a hard one for you.

Alexander Cheves (1:02:21)
Well, okay, I…

I used to go to Black Party in New York a lot. This was before I actually started working for the Saint at Large for a little bit, which puts on the Black Party. Back when I was just an attendee, I went to the Black Party that everybody seemed to hate, which was, the theme was Dark Matter It was the last one, I think, that happened in Manhattan. And I think it was the one, it was the Black, it was Black Party 2017 or 2018. I can’t remember which.

And I had a marker with me and so I actually did my own load count, my own load tally. And I took a lot of drugs and some, some that was back when my life was a little, it was a bit messier than it is now. And so I had a less healthy relationship with drugs than, than I do now. And I did a lot of drugs and I was there literally it’s like a 24 hour party, if not longer, like it lasts for two days.

And I was there literally from the beginning to the end, like when the lights came on and I later tallied up the tally marks and it was 44. And I was like, I was like, all right, like I’m really, really proud of this. I think most people probably, you know, some people, I had sex in one event, then more sex than what some people have in their whole lives. And so.

Trevor Hoppe (1:03:28)
Yeah.

Alexander Cheves (1:03:43)
And at the time I was not proud of it, but in hindsight, especially here in Berlin, I can tell that story and guys are like, okay, sure. Whatever. but, yeah, I out Dawson’d Dawson. So yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (1:03:51)
Yeah. You out Dawson’d Dawson.

I love that. I mean, I just try to add that bit to the end because I think we all have these stories that, as you say, in the moment, you might feel some kind of way about, but we should celebrate those moments of achievement, if they may be, or just pleasure or whatever. And so thank you for sharing that,

Alexander Cheves (1:04:00)
Thank you.

Trevor Hoppe (1:04:17)
Thank you Alexander Cheves for making the time and sharing your stories. I am so grateful.

Alexander Cheves (1:04:23)
Thank you so much. I’m so grateful for the work that you put out into the world. It’s so inspiring to me. And it’s been a pleasure in the past working with you and I’m so happy that you’re doing this podcast.

Trevor Hoppe (1:04:35)
That’s our show for today. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, if you’re not having your best gay sex, I can help. As a sex coach, my services can help you identify and overcome barriers that are standing between you and your best sex life. Find out more on my website, thebestgaysex.net. Thanks again for listening. Till next time.

S01E05 – “Honesty” ft. Acep Gates

OVERVIEW:

Being honest isn’t always easy, especially when it means going against the grain. In this episode, I talk with Acep Gates, a trailblazing gay, HIV-positive content creator living in Indonesia, where being out can come with dangerous consequences. Acep opens up about his first sexual experiences, navigating dating apps in a country where Grindr is blocked, and the unique challenges of being both queer and Muslim. From surviving conversion therapy to learning what he truly wants in bed, Acep shares the raw and often surprising lessons he’s learned about honesty—with others and himself. Whether he’s challenging stigma or licking a lover’s armpit (yes, we go there), Acep’s story is as vulnerable as it is inspiring.

TRANSCRIPT:

Trevor Hoppe (00:09)
Hey, welcome to the Best Gay Sex Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Trevor Hoppe. Today’s episode is about honesty. You know, they say it’s the best policy, but it doesn’t make it easy. Whether it’s slipping off your wedding band or, heck, pretending to be someone else entirely online or shaving a few years off your age or a few pounds off your weight, sometimes it just seems like Grindr and

Honesty don’t mix. But here’s the rub. We get so caught up in other people’s fibbing that sometimes we forget to check in on the lies we tell ourselves. Today’s guest reminds us that it’s being honest with ourselves that can be the real challenge. What do we actually want? And what do we truly need? Finding sexual fulfillment depends.

on answering those questions without shame or pretense. Today’s guest knows a thing or two about living honestly, and I truly am in awe of this man. Acep Gates is a trailblazer, living honestly, openly, as a gay HIV positive man in Indonesia, a country where, you know, being out and open comes with a steep price. But he is out there living his truth.

through his wildly popular YouTube channel. Let’s listen in.

Trevor Hoppe (01:40)
Acep Gates, welcome to the Best Gay Sex Podcast.

Acep Gates (01:44)
Thank you, Trevor. Thank you for inviting me to join your podcast.

Trevor Hoppe (01:51)
It is my pleasure. I’m so excited to learn more about you and the work you do. But before we kind of get into the deep, tell people who are listening, like tell a little bit about like where you grew up and what it was like there being a queer person.

Acep Gates (02:05)
So guys, my name is Acep So I was born and still living in my country in Indonesia. So I’m a content creator in my country and I have been sharing my personal journey as an openly gay and also living with HIV in Indonesia. Indonesia is quite, I don’t know how to say, like it’s really complicated for…

queer people who lives here because there are lot of, you know, like some kind of discrimination, stigma, and a lot of, you know, like bad things happen toward us. So yeah, it’s quite challenging for us.

Trevor Hoppe (02:45)
I can imagine. And Indonesia is a majority Muslim country. And how has that impacted you and your sexuality?

Acep Gates (02:50)
Yep. Yeah.

It’s really complicated as I was born in Muslim family as well. And I’m still adopting religion too. So it’s really, really challenging. And especially when I come out to my parents about my sexuality, they forced me to do convention therapy. Conversion therapy, yeah. In Islam we call it rukiyah because

Muslims believe that if you are gay, you have to be cured by this kind of therapy. And I did it for one month and it was really horrible. You know, it made me so depressed and my mental health was really worse. And one day I also like was thinking to end my life because I cannot live like this. So yeah, but then

after one year. So I kept fighting with my parents and then fortunately they tried to understand me and you know like until they were fine again.

Trevor Hoppe (04:10)
I cannot imagine what that would have been like to go through conversion therapy. Were you, was that a coming out process that you initiated or did they find out some other way?

Acep Gates (04:24)
So yeah, actually in 2017, I got a scholarship to do a change program in the US. I learned about LGBT rights and human rights. And when I’m back home in the middle of 2017, so I initiated to, you know, to talk to my parents about this because I think it’s really important for me.

and for the other gay guys who have been struggling about this.

Trevor Hoppe (04:58)
I can’t, like, I mean, this sounds trite, right, to say that that’s brave. It’s like, I’m sure people tell you that all the time, but like, that’s really brave. And I admire that a lot because it’s, can’t imagine the danger and the fear that you must’ve felt telling your family and people around you that information. Do you think, what, what,

When did you start to sort of appreciate that you were gay? How like, what age were you when you started to feel that way?

Acep Gates (05:34)
So I think it’s a long journey actually to finally accept myself for being me. But I still remember like I’m totally accepted myself like when I was in the university like a few years ago because I struggle a lot with a lot of problems and I think I

I was so brave to make any kind like decision in my life and I tried to come out as well on social media, on YouTube, on TikTok and some of my video just like blew up on YouTube and since then I lost a lot of opportunities. It’s really hard for me to get a job because most of the company here will be considering your

sexuality, your HIV status, something like that. But after I come out, there are a lot of opportunities as well. know, like many collaboration, many of the other opportunities. I don’t need to work with a conventional company anymore. And since then, I feel like, okay, so yeah, how can say? I never regret.

of what I had been doing. So now I’m so proud of myself, no regrets. I’m proud of being gay as well, so yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (07:10)
my god, okay, fabulous! Alright, well that’s a journey. I’m here for the journey. Tell me a little bit about like what your first forays into sexuality were, like how did you start to explore your sexuality?

Acep Gates (07:25)
I tried to explore my sexualities when I was in high school. So actually I was staying in Islamic boarding school. I didn’t stay with my parents. So it’s really challenging. And it’s really hard to hide my desire as well because in the school we are just like boys students. Sometimes we shower together, something like that.

So yeah, but in a holiday time, so when I’m back home, I was really curious to have sex because I never had sex before, but I watched some porn movie, especially when the guy got fed by the other guy and I had some desire. So I talked to myself like, my God, I want to get fed as well.

Trevor Hoppe (07:54)
-huh.

Mm

Acep Gates (08:23)
And then I joined the online group on Facebook because I didn’t know about the dating apps or something at the time. So there was some some online gay online group on Facebook in Indonesia at the time. So yeah, I joined one of them and I posted a message that guys, I want to try to have sex and I will try to get f***ed.

Trevor Hoppe (08:24)
Mm -hmm.

Mm

Acep Gates (08:51)
anyone want to help me something like that and that’s a no and that’s a no like there was a guy who chat me me and he said to me like hey I have I can f*** you but you need to book a hotel and you need to pay me like around 10 US dollars and I said like

Trevor Hoppe (08:56)
I love that.

Wow.

Acep Gates (09:19)
Hey, I agree with that. And in two days, yeah, in two days, we met in a hotel. we met in a hotel and I met a guy and I told him everything that I never had had sex or anything.

Trevor Hoppe (09:28)
Wow.

How’d it go?

Acep Gates (09:45)
So he tried to do some kind of foreplay, he touched my body, I was so nervous, I didn’t know what should I do. And then he tried to kiss me and I vomit like that, something like that because I don’t know, it’s like a French kiss. Something like that. But you know, right now I do really love kissing but at the time I didn’t like it.

Trevor Hoppe (10:01)
no.

Acep Gates (10:13)
And until he tried to f*** me, he put his dick in my hole slowly and it got me really hurt until he pulled inside my hole or something like that. I was crying and I said to stop it, like, can we just stop? And I just paid him like 10 years dollars. In Ethiopia it’s like a…

150, you know, like thousand rupiah. And after that, I just went back home because I didn’t want to continue the sex because it’s, you know, like hurts my whole. So yeah, since then, I never had sex until I was in the university because I feel like, my God, it’s so scary. It was, was really, you know, like a

confusing for me. So yeah, that was my first sexual experience.

Trevor Hoppe (11:19)
my God, there were so many lessons there, like along the way. I can’t imagine meeting someone like that for the first time in a hotel. That must have been really scary, I can only imagine. In uni –

Acep Gates (11:22)
I’m

Yeah.

Yeah, I didn’t even know about the lubricant as well.

Trevor Hoppe (11:38)
Yeah, right. mean, how would you? There’s no guidebook you get, unfortunately. Do you feel like you learned, you watched pornography, do you feel like that was helpful or do you think that was not helpful in terms of learning?

Acep Gates (11:44)
Yeah, because they’re… yeah.

So actually it’s not helpful for learning about sex.

Trevor Hoppe (12:01)
Yeah.

Yeah, it looks so easy there, right? It’s just like, whoop, it happens. You’re like, my gosh. And then real life is obviously different. You have these fantasies of being a bottom, basically, sounds like, right? Is that a term that you identify with?

Acep Gates (12:09)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, so I identify myself as a bottom right now, even after the accident when I was in high school. So since then I try as well to f***, but I was still curious to be a bottom and eventually I try again, again, again, again until I do really enjoy it, like until right now.

Trevor Hoppe (12:47)
Yeah. Yeah, practice makes perfect for Cher when it comes to bottoming. How did you find guys in university? Where would you meet men to explore your sexuality?

Acep Gates (12:52)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So when I was in university, I started using the dating app. So it’s made me easier. So yeah, met some guys from that.

Trevor Hoppe (13:15)
And in IndieG is that that grinder or is it like Hornet? What apps are popular there?

Acep Gates (13:21)
Still Grindr, our government blocked the Grindr but we’re still using the VPN so we can still use it. The most popular thing I think like Grindr, Hornet and Walla.

Trevor Hoppe (13:38)
And when you’re using a VPM, because I’m just curious for people in the United States and other places where the government is not blocking these websites, when you use a VPM, you’re basically pretending to be somewhere else, right? Like your phone is like sending a signal that you’re in a different location. Is that right?

Acep Gates (13:59)
Yes. So actually only the I don’t know how to say like it’s like the internet things but the location it’s still on dating apps. The location is still the same in Indonesia. So there is no different. Yeah. Yeah there is no different.

Trevor Hoppe (14:14)
okay, it’s just the internet is coming through. Sorry, this is like so stupid question. I literally wasn’t sure how it works. So you can still see that people are close by and they really are close by. Okay. Sorry, that was my silly question. So you’re meeting guys on the apps. What were those early experiences like? Do any jump out as you as like particularly…

Acep Gates (14:19)
Yeah.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Trevor Hoppe (14:42)
where you kind of learned something important about your own sex life.

Acep Gates (14:48)
Yeah, meeting a lot of guys, especially on dating apps, I learned a lot of things, not only about sex actually, but also to know what I want. I also like learning more about, you know, the racism on dating apps and the gay community sometimes, and body shaming, something like that. Because on dating apps, we, you know, we are dealing with a lot of things like

Trevor Hoppe (15:08)
Mmm.

Acep Gates (15:17)
body type, skin colors, or something like that. Yeah, and meeting a lot of guys as well helped me to find something that makes me great in sex. for example, for the position in sex, which one I, you know, like the most creeper, something like that. So yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (15:46)
Hmm. How do you think you learned? I guess sometimes I feel like I learned through bad experiences, like, that really wasn’t good. Were there any particular experiences that you remember it was being like, that sucked or that was bad. And then you like corrected the course for the future to find better experiences.

Acep Gates (16:10)
yeah, one of the worst experiences while I was meeting some guys is they were always judging my femininity. You know, because I’m a bit girly, I’m a bit feminine, so it’s still a big deal for most of the gay guys here. So one day I met a guy and he came to my hotel and

Trevor Hoppe (16:21)
Hmm.

Acep Gates (16:38)
He looked at me and he asked me, are you working with the government or military because your body looks a bit like a masculine? But when I started talking with him and he said like, my God, your body looks masculine but the way you talk is like a girl.

So I don’t really like it and blah blah blah and yeah we didn’t have sex. So I think that’s the worst experience for me. And the other thing would be like when some guys didn’t understand how they f*** a bottom. Like some of the bottom like me I need something slowly before they you know like

Trevor Hoppe (17:06)
Mmm.

Acep Gates (17:36)
They thought me they need to be slowly first, but some of the guys that I met just they just like I was my god as I didn’t I don’t really like that because it really hurts my whole

Trevor Hoppe (17:51)
Yeah, it can be very painful. so for the first experience with the kind of femme shaming, is there a way that you try to, to like seek out men who are comfortable with that? Like, have you found ways to like screen out guys who are who are kind of, we would say in the States, like mask for a mask is like the catch phrase that some guys use.

Acep Gates (18:16)
Yeah, yeah. Most of the guys here always ask before me and most of them like ask me, are you feminine or not? And since then, I always like, yes, I am. So since then, they just maybe like consider things when I told them that I’m a feminine, something like that.

Trevor Hoppe (18:34)
Mm.

Acep Gates (18:45)
But fortunately, there are a lot of guys as well who could accept our femininity. yeah. I mean, I just don’t want to waste my time with the guys who cannot accept me for who I am. So, Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (19:04)
Amen to that. feel it’s same. I feel the same. It’s like a balancing act because I don’t think of myself as particularly feminine. Like that’s not a word I would really relate to very strongly, but a lot of guys read me as feminine. So I never know how to answer that question when guys are like, are you masculine or feminine? I’m like, it feels like either answer is wrong, right? Like, like neither one is really true, but, but I agree that like,

Acep Gates (19:18)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (19:31)
I will tend to say feminine more often just because I know that’s what it’s like, they’re trying to screen out too. And if they care about it, it’s usually because they’re not okay with femininity. So I’m like, I don’t want to waste my time either. It is a waste of time. I totally understand that. And for the second part about the guys going too fast, like how…

Acep Gates (19:45)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (20:00)
Is there a way that you try to like, do you tell guys beforehand now? Like, hey, you know, could you go slow?

Acep Gates (20:07)
Yeah, so all the guys that I met I mean I always told them like please slowly but some of them just like ignoring it and then like Okay, but I was horny and I’m gonna just keep going then. yeah Yeah, yeah

Trevor Hoppe (20:24)
Yes.

I hear that it’s challenging sometimes to communicate. So yeah, I can understand that that’s a challenge. Tops are sometimes just, I don’t know what they think your hole is. They think it’s porn maybe or something that’s just.

Acep Gates (20:34)
Hehehehehe

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (20:50)
in general, other than those things that we just talked about, like what do you think makes sex bad?

Acep Gates (20:57)
things that make sex bad. think when the guy like, f*** to me less than 10 minutes.

Trevor Hoppe (21:05)
a quickie.

Acep Gates (21:07)
Yeah, so actually I don’t, I’m not really into quickie. I’m the kind of guy who needed time to enjoy the sex. You know, so I’m not really into like rushing thing. So yeah, and sometimes I do really love long sex like more than one hour. So yeah, something like that.

Trevor Hoppe (21:37)
Definitely the quickie thing. A lot of guys are looking for quickies sometimes and I’m like, I don’t know why rush it? But so, so I guess it sounds like if you were, if you’re out there, I’m just trying to be for, for listeners, like people often are looking for advice. Like how do you avoid the bad stuff? And in this case, How do you avoid, how do you find guys who want longer sessions? Like what do you,

Acep Gates (21:42)
Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (22:06)
What do you look for?

Acep Gates (22:07)
Yeah, so actually it’s really challenging to find a guy who can f* me with a long duration but yeah, I just like to keep trying, you know, like yeah, keep trying to meet the guys when I found some guy who can f* me that long. So I usually like

Trevor Hoppe (22:20)
Haha, keep trying!

Acep Gates (22:37)
keep in touch with them and we meet again in another time. So yeah, so I think there is no particular way to find a guy who can f* me that long because sometimes I really understand like not all guys can f* me that long. Sometimes they are tired. Sometimes they are, you know, like having a lot of problems and it affects to

their capability as well when they’re having sex with me. yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (23:11)
Yeah, I know when you find a good, a good, we would call them like a f*** buddy here, like you just hold on tight and then don’t let him go, like keep coming back for more. So it sounds like regulars, like you have regulars.

Acep Gates (23:17)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yes, fortunately right now I have two f*** buddies. So yeah, they are really good in bed for me. So we usually meet like every two weeks or every month. yeah, it’s good. I mean like we can satisfy each other.

Trevor Hoppe (23:32)
Yeah.

Mm -hmm. Yeah, you kind of know how each other works. That’s awesome.

Acep Gates (23:54)
Yeah. Yeah, I think, yeah, not only not only about f***ing only about sex, but the things that I like from them is communication as well. These two guys has a good communication skill and not only for sex, but you know, a small talk, deep talk, we talk a lot of things while you know, like while break.

when we’re head side. So yeah, that’s a good thing as well. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (24:30)
I like that. I really enjoy sometimes learning. You talk, you learn about people, and it’s fun to hear about their lives. So much of the gay world on the apps, it can be so wham -bam, and you don’t say anything. So communication is obviously really key.

Acep Gates (24:35)
Yes.

Trevor Hoppe (24:50)
How did you meet these guys?

Acep Gates (24:51)
On dating apps, like I think the easiest way here in Indonesia, if you want to meet gay guys or hook up, you know, looking for boyfriend or something, only dating apps. Yeah, the easy way.

Trevor Hoppe (25:10)
And do you, well, looking back on the experiences you’ve had, all the sex you’ve had, do you think there’s an experience that jumps out as being like the best?

Acep Gates (25:19)
The best? I think the best sex that I have having sex with my two f*** buddies I think they are the best of the best for me so far.

Trevor Hoppe (25:39)
I love that. What makes it so good?

Acep Gates (25:44)
So maybe like their dick a bit… One is so I don’t know how to say in English like a a straight and long yeah long and and the other guy like long and a bit

Trevor Hoppe (25:56)
Long? -huh.

curved.

Acep Gates (26:03)
Yeah, yeah, like curves, yeah. So yeah. And they can f*** me like with a long duration. So yeah, like a good kissing, good communication.

Trevor Hoppe (26:16)
I love that. Sounds pretty passionate.

Acep Gates (26:19)
Yeah. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (26:21)
That’s sweet. Do you think size matters?

Acep Gates (26:25)
yes I mean like when I was younger I was thinking like size doesn’t matter but right now I realized that size matters because I don’t know like every time I when I got f***ed by guys who has a like for me like a small dick it’s always made

my hole hurt. I don’t really understand why, but when I get slapped by like a, you know, like a big dick, big dick in terms of Asian size, I mean, because we, for me, like we have like a different definition of big and small, right? So yeah. So yeah. yeah. Getting f***ed by a…

a big dick is more comfortable.

Trevor Hoppe (27:27)
Isn’t that fascinating? Because I think the stereotype is the, or the idea people most people have is the opposite, right? That it’s more painful. But I hear that from guys, sometimes from bottoms, that actually it’s the opposite sometimes, that smaller can be more painful, which is kind of counterintuitive. So size does matter in your book. I definitely hear that. It sounds like kissing, passion.

Acep Gates (27:42)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (27:54)
Have you ever played around with both of your f*** buddies together?

Acep Gates (28:00)
no. So, I’m not really into like a tri -sam or you know like a group sex. I try many times. I have been trying even until right now like a tri -sam or just something like that. But I still don’t understand like I still don’t know how to find the things that I like you know like during

Trevor Hoppe (28:13)
Yeah.

Acep Gates (28:27)
this kind of activities. yeah, maybe one day will find out the things that make me really like to do some kind of orgy or something like that.

Trevor Hoppe (28:42)
No, mean, absolutely. think you know what you like, right? And so I just was curious about that. So it sounds like one -on -one is definitely your vibe. And what do you, if you have the power to like set up the ultimate fantasy and make it in real life, like what would that look like for you?

Acep Gates (28:43)
Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

So

Trevor Hoppe (29:17)
you just said you weren’t into group.

Ha ha ha!

Acep Gates (29:36)
only me and 10 guys and this house has like a pan room and each guy with each room and I come to you know like one room and I had sex with them and moved to another room so yeah it’s not a group sex right?

Trevor Hoppe (29:44)
-huh.

Huh.

I love that! It’s like the Brady Bunch or something. All these little rooms where you’re just moving in.

Acep Gates (30:01)
So that’s Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (30:09)
Have you ever done anything like that at all?

Acep Gates (30:12)
No, maybe in a sauna, I tried. Like in a dark room, there are a lot of light room. Yeah, I tried. But yeah, and then I only has a quick one guy. So yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (30:16)
Yeah.

One guy at a time. No, I get it. That makes sense to me. 101 is definitely your vibe, for sure. What types of skills do you think it takes to have the best sex?

Acep Gates (30:31)
Yeah.

think for me personally, the best skill maybe like being more active when we have sex because you know like in Indonesia, in the gay scene here in Indonesia we still we’re still thinking that if you are bottom you just lying in a bed and get f***ed and you don’t move or anything

Trevor Hoppe (31:06)
Mmm.

Acep Gates (31:10)
But for me as a bottom, personally, I need to be more active as well, like explore what kind of things that my sex partner like. Like for example, every time I have sex, I always ask my sex partner, do you like when I lick your nipples and your armpit or something like that? Because I do really love to, you know, like bite or lick.

the nipples and also like the armpit like licking their whole body. I love that. And some of the guys like love that as well. And most of them always say to me, “Acep, most of the bottom never, never done that to me like that. So I love that when you do it to me.” So yeah, for me, like we need to maybe like more balance because some of the top that

that had sex with me always said, I’m too tired. You need to be more active to reading or something like that. yeah. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (32:24)
Yeah, so being an active bottom definitely is, is take skills and, and what I mean, it takes muscular skills. takes dexterity and you to stretch. Like you have to be kind of a limber person for sure. It’s kind of a workout. So the licking is interesting though. I like that little tip.

Acep Gates (32:43)
Yeah.

Yeah, I love

Trevor Hoppe (32:48)
Yeah, because there’s these scripts that we follow, I think. And so sometimes, like what you’re supposed to do, sometimes when you break out of those scripts, people, it can create nice moments. Like people are like, that’s different. Like, yeah, I like doing that. That’s awesome. What would be your top three tips you had for people for finding the best sex?

Acep Gates (33:14)
First, keep exploring. I think sex, in sex we need explore. We never know which one is the best or what kind of the best thing in sex without exploring for me. So yeah. And the second one, I think we need to be more, I don’t know, like a bit sensitive, like more understanding. Maybe like…

I don’t know how to say, a communication skill as well to know what we want, to know what our sex partner want as well because sometimes we need to talk about this to our sex partner and to find the best sex for us as well. And the third…

What was…

I don’t know. The pet peeves?

maybe we have to be honest. mean, like when I was younger and started exploring, I had sex with some guys and I feel like I didn’t really enjoy it, but I keep lying to myself, I do really enjoy it, but actually I’m not. So I think being honest to ourselves as well is really important to playing the best sex because

when we are honest, we will be more, I don’t know, like knowing what we need and what we want. So yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (35:00)
What do you think were some things that you were lying to yourself about?

What do you think, so you said you’ve got to be honest and that there were some things maybe you were lying to yourself about, that you were enjoying it, but you weren’t enjoying it. Why do you think, where does that come from? Like, why do we feel the need to lie?

Acep Gates (35:18)
Yeah, so I think a few years ago I met a really interesting guy and I did really like him but eventually, I mean, we had sex but in sex for me he was not really good in sex. We had sex many times but still, like, my God, I didn’t like it. But because I like him, like,

his personality, his look or something like that I just, you know, like try to keep lying to myself like it’s okay, it’s okay maybe that’s the process or you know, something like that and when these guys like ask me, do you like it? Yes, I do and blah blah blah or something like that and most of the time I always I always did like fake orgasm so yeah

Trevor Hoppe (36:16)
Mmm.

Acep Gates (36:19)
So that’s come from that experience.

Trevor Hoppe (36:24)
Definitely the faking of, yeah, when you’re faking, if that word is involved, then definitely there’s not honesty, and so that’s challenging to be. Well, that’s too bad, because I can imagine that when you meet someone you think is really great, and then the sex is not, it’s very challenging.

Acep Gates (36:32)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (36:43)
Well, I don’t want to end on that sad note. But so the last question that I always ask is a segment I called Sorted Lives and Untold Tales, or SLUT for short. And this is totally subjective. But what is the sluttiest thing that you’ve ever done?

Acep Gates (37:00)
Okay, so yeah, if if and I told you that I’m not really into group sex but this This is best thing that I ever done is some kind of a gangbang thing. So I like it yeah, I mean like I told you like I have been still like, you know exploring do like about with groups like something

Trevor Hoppe (37:25)
-huh.

Acep Gates (37:27)
so like, last year there were, there were two guys on dating apps who asked me to meet for threesome. And I realized that I don’t like threesome, but still I want to explore it. And then I, I said, yes, I can come to their hotel. When I come to their hotel, I was really surprised because when I opened the room, there were like,

10 guys naked already and these two guys told me, you know, like, I’m so sorry. So actually I lied to you. So here they are like, like 10 top guys. so is it okay if, you know, like we are like, like f***ing you because

Trevor Hoppe (38:16)
Haha, -huh.

Acep Gates (38:27)
The button is only you here. I was really confused and complicated. I was a bit scared but I also curious how to get fed by 10 guys. And then I said, okay, it’s not problem. Let’s try. Yeah, it’s like three hours and then it’s just like a f me. But still, the strange things that I felt like…

I didn’t get horny.

So yeah, even 10 guys like fk me, one by one. Okay, I can handle all the dicks there, but still there is no feeling. I didn’t really enjoy it. Even like they fked me around 3 hours. Okay, I didn’t even cum. So yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (39:19)
So we need to rent out a whole hotel for you and have them all in different rooms, and then it would be the vibe.

Acep Gates (39:25)
Yeah, but in reality, ten guys in one room.

Trevor Hoppe (39:32)
my gosh. That’s wild. I mean, that’s wild. I can appreciate that that wasn’t your vibe, but I many bottoms would lose their minds to be like, my God, you organized this entire thing. you think they, because you’re very public figure, do they know who you are? Is that something you have to negotiate?

Acep Gates (39:59)
Yes, yes. So after we had sex, some of them told me like, thank you for the contents and blah, blah, blah. I was like, okay.

Trevor Hoppe (40:13)
Aww. So that’s been a good thing so far is like people knowing you are. Okay. Good. I’m glad to hear that. Well, if people want to learn more about you and the work that you do, where can they find you online?

Acep Gates (40:19)
Yeah, that’s the good things. Yeah. Yeah.

So you can visit my YouTube channel, Achep Gates or TikTok, Achep Gates or Axe or Twitter at Achep Gates Reel and Instagram, Achep Gates. But unfortunately, my previous Instagram got suspended. this Instagram is a new one.

Trevor Hoppe (40:55)
Fabulous. Well, I hope that people reach out and follow your content because you are doing some fabulous work to beat stigma against HIV and just around sexuality in general. I really am grateful for the work you’re doing from across the globe to you. It is admirable and just fabulous and sexy. So congratulations on being all of those things. My pleasure.

Acep Gates (41:19)
here.

Trevor Hoppe (41:22)
That’s our show for today. Thank you so much as always for listening. And remember, if you are not having your best gay sex, I can help. My services as a sex coach can help you identify and overcome those obstacles and barriers that are standing between you and your best sex life. Find out more on my website, thebestgaysex.net. Till next time.

S01E04 – “Reputation” ft. Rodney McCoy

OVERVIEW:

Reputation. Whether you’re owning it like Taylor Swift or dodging it like Shawn Mendes, it seems like everyone has something to say about what others say about them. In this episode, I’m joined by the inimitable Rodney McCoy, who has spent decades in the queer scene building a name for himself—one satisfied partner at a time.

Rodney shares how a reputation isn’t just something that happens to you; it’s something you can wield. From leather competitions to unforgettable bukkake tales, he breaks down how the right kind of rep can unlock new connections, while teaching us how to navigate the fine line between being celebrated and misunderstood.

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn your bedroom skills into a legacy—or just want some tips on leaving a lasting impression—this one’s for you.

TRANSCRIPT:

Trevor Hoppe (00:09)
Hey, welcome to the Best Gay Sex Podcast. I’m your host, Dr. Trevor Happy. Today’s episode is about reputation. You know, I think having a reputation has gotten a bad rap, and pop culture might be partly to blame. Riddle me this, what do Joan Jett, Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and still figuring it out Shawn Mendes all have in common?

they’ve all put out records about having a reputation. A bad reputation. But why is having a reputation always so sus? We talk about houses of ill repute, but what about houses of good repute? I mean, wasn’t it word of her legendary milkshakes that brought all the boys to Khalees’ yard? And like Khalees, today’s guest makes the case that having one satisfied partner

can lead to two more at your doorstep. Rodney McCoy has worked for over four decades to keep HIV prevention sexy. And that is no easy feat. Most of our libido’s shrivel when we hear the term HIV prevention. But through his Listen to Daddy podcast and as a multiple title holding leather man of color, Rodney has earned a reputation for using his kink platform for a good.

Let’s listen in.

Trevor Hoppe (01:35)
Rod McCoy, welcome to the Best Gay Sex podcast.

Rodney McCoy (01:39)
Thank you, thank you. It’s an honor, it’s a privilege. I’m glad to be here and thank you.

Trevor Hoppe (01:44)
I’m so excited to talk to you more, to learn more about what you think the best gay sex looks like. But before we get to all the good stuff, tell listeners a little bit about where you’re from and where you grew

Rodney McCoy (02:01)
Well, first of all, you know the song Native New Yorker by Odyssey? That would be me. I’m a Native New Yorker. am the Brooklyn to be exact. I’ve lived all over the great borough of Brooklyn. And I am also the oldest of five kids to, of course, the same parents.

Trevor Hoppe (02:05)
Of course.

Rodney McCoy (02:23)
I do have to say, and I have an ex who teases me about being from New York, because I’ve been living in the DC area now for 20 years, well, over 20 years. And he says, why do people from New York leave to New York to talk about how great it is?

It is it is and I just love going back there. Of course. I have another reason to be there being that my partner is there So that’s even more reason to go back and but no that’s where I’m from I think as people get to know me they’ll be like, yep He’s a New Yorker. So Yes, so native New Yorker here exactly

Trevor Hoppe (02:47)
Mm -hmm.

New Yorker born and bred. I love it. And what was it like growing up there as a young queer person? that was that, what part of your life journey did you start to think, I might be different from the other boys?

Rodney McCoy (03:12)
As a teenager, just starting to explore it, I don’t even say explore it, but just recognizing it, especially in a conservative Christian family, it was not easy. People would think, you’re in one of the gay meccas. Wow, you would think that, know, like sky’s the limit.

Trevor Hoppe (03:25)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (03:35)
Not necessarily, not when you’re a teenager and not when you don’t know what’s out there. It actually took me leaving New York to go to school for those of you who know Oberlin College, that’s where I went. I call it, right, it’s in Ohio, a fairly prestigious liberal arts college. Also very progressive in terms of its politics, in terms of its environment, and that allowed me to come out. So when I came back,

Trevor Hoppe (03:46)
Nice.

Rodney McCoy (04:03)
about five years later back to New York. That’s when I started to discover, wow, all of this was here and I didn’t even know it. So I would say as a young adult, particularly in the 90s in Brooklyn, man, especially in downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, that was the place to be. for those who may be listening, who grew up or lived in Brooklyn in New York City around the 90s, y ‘all know what I’m talking about. I mean.

Trevor Hoppe (04:31)
Ha ha.

Rodney McCoy (04:32)
I mean, the nightlife, the people, it was just amazing. It was just exactly what I needed to really come into my

Trevor Hoppe (04:39)
I love that. And so did you start having sexual experiences while you read Oberlin or did that take coming back to New

Rodney McCoy (04:47)
I had a few in my freshman year and for some reason and looking back, I think I was just so intense as a person, intense in my studies, intense in mingling with folks, intense in the political arena in terms of the campus. I think I’m looking back, I may have turned some people off.

So it wasn’t until I got back to New York, you know, where people were like, here’s this, but you know, I’m, I’m in my twenties, early twenties, back in New York, fresh off the farm, as I called it, coming back from Ohio to New York and, know, and, you know, being slender, you know, much more skinnier than I am now. it’s getting, you know, small, skinny, you know, outgoing, like, hi, how, who are you? And, you know, I got a lot of notice.

Trevor Hoppe (05:23)
Ahaha

Ha ha ha, weren’t we all?

Rodney McCoy (05:40)
a lot of attention. So I really started exploring sex and having sex when I came back to New York in the 90s. And I was about to say, you know, like coming back to New York that I thought I was on, what you would call it, that I had come into my own. That actually came later.

I think in my 40s and 50s. That’s when I would say now is when I’ve really come into my own sexual. But I think I had a very good start, a very good foundation coming back to New York, coming back home.

Trevor Hoppe (06:14)
Were there any particular experiences that stick out to you at that time that you’re like, this is the thing that was like, wow, this is what sex can be

Rodney McCoy (06:23)
Jesus.

Trevor Hoppe (06:24)
Roll the tape.

Rodney McCoy (06:25)
There is, roll tape. I’ll never forget and I, okay, I’m gonna tell on myself. So I’ve always been, as an adult, I’ve always worked in HIV prevention. And there was one organization that I worked for where some of the things we had to do was go do outreach in some of the areas where we congregated, socially, sexually, all that good stuff.

And there was one particular encounter with a handsome young man, we were about the same age. And, you know, so I was doing my spiel about condoms. This was pre -prep. So talking about condoms, talking about getting tested, blah, blah, blah. And I could tell he was looking at me and that was not what he really wanted to hear. So I broke my, and he was gorgeous. He was so sexy. And I was, and so he let it be known.

When I was off the clock, he was like, I really appreciate you talking to me, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you for. And so I was like, okay, how about this? Wait till I’m off the clock. And I don’t know what it was. I think it was his face. I think it was his body, even the way he smelled. But that was some good ass sex. That was some good, good, that was some good f***ing And most of the time I topped

Mount Morris Baths, and it’s so funny because this young man, I met him in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. I remember quite a few occasions in Mount Morris Baths in New York City in Harlem, which is no longer there, unfortunately, where there was an older gentleman, a professor at one of the local universities. my God, he was, oof. It was

I didn’t realize I had a daddy thing until I met him. And first of all, he was so handsome and in a very professorial kind of way that you would look at him and go daddy. And just his sexual energy was just very nurturing, very easy going. But when we would get horny, just everything would ramp up and would just and I also remember because and

Trevor Hoppe (08:30)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (08:44)
Hopefully the FCC doesn’t mind me saying this, but I would f*** him. And I wasn’t too much into bottoming then, but I really just liked his energy so much that when he did me, it just felt amazing. I was like, whoa. And that’s, think, was the start to me being versatile. And most times I was topping. I didn’t really enjoy bottoming or flipping.

Trevor Hoppe (09:00)
Mm -hmm.

Mmm.

Rodney McCoy (09:13)
until my 40s. But there was one, you look at what you done did. Look at what you done started, because actually, and I’m going to New Orleans for a conference that’s going to happen. New Orleans was also a place where I had a wonderful sexual experience with a local down at and I don’t know what it is about me in bathhouses. I don’t know what it is. But he was tall, you know, like that tall

Trevor Hoppe (09:21)
Ha ha ha ha!

Rodney McCoy (09:43)
dark, handsome, muscular. Maybe a few years younger than me, was in my late, mid to late 30s. He was just a little bit younger. He tasted so good and I sucked him off. And it was just delicious, know, tasting it, feeling a splash on me. I was on my knees sucking him, you know, like right there. And so I thought that was

And so, you know, after we wiped up and we were talking and we were vibing, and so I was just, okay, and he’s cool. So I was fine with talking and he got this look on his face. And I was like, what? And he said, and I’ll never forget, he said, I want to know how it feels to be inside you. And I said, ooh. And at the time I was kind of like, and here’s the other thing, dude was huge. And I’m already.

Trevor Hoppe (10:32)
-huh.

Rodney McCoy (10:34)
not that experienced in bottoming, but I was like, well, God damn it, I’m gonna give this the old college try. And I have to tell you, that was one of the first times, and I remember being on my hands and knees, doggie, and he didn’t have his own room, but there was a space, there was one open space between the cubicles at Flex, Flex New Orleans, which is unfortunately no longer there.

But so we went into that space and he just slid in slowly. And I think because I was so turned on and I was comfortable with him, I just breathed, took a breath and just let him slide in slowly. And he just slowly stroked me, slowly stroked me. And I was just, and I just remember feeling so good. It was also the first time that came while getting

And that was memorable for me because that rare, even now that rarely happens.

Or let me put it this way. That was the first time I actually ejaculated. Now, I also discovered anal orgasms. That’s a whole nother story. But yeah. Okay, you’re like, we got time today. But yeah, those are some of my more memorable times from when I was living in New York. What happened in New York, what happened when I traveled outside of New York. But yeah, I would say the 90s.

Trevor Hoppe (11:46)
we’ll get there, don’t you worry.

We got time.

Rodney McCoy (12:05)
That was sexually, that, you know, now that I look back, it’s like, you did quite a bit, quite a bit. I also realized I had developed a bit of a reputation because I was out there, I was doing whatever I wanted to do, whoever I wanted to do for better and for worse. And I had the reputation, I learned decades later that I was a slut, Rod was just after that, which there was some truth to that, but no more than everyone else.

But everyone was like, he’s just all about the sex. He’s all about the nut. You can’t really get with Rod. And I learned that from an ex who was still a good friend of mine. People were actually saying to him, don’t date him. Don’t date Rod, because he’s just about the sex. And it’s just amazing to me how I was doing the same things everyone else was doing. And I should know because A, I was having sex with some of them, or B, I was having sex with guys they had sex with. So that’s how I knew.

Trevor Hoppe (12:35)
Mm -hmm.

Exactly.

Rodney McCoy (13:04)
So that’s how I knew, it’s like we’re all doing the same thing while y ‘all hating on me. Cause I was very open and vocal and like, what? I’m a grown man and so were you, what’s the problem? What is the problem?

Trevor Hoppe (13:15)
When you live out loud, know, people always have things to say, but the truth is that everybody else is on, well, now Grindr back then, obviously differently, but everyone indeed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Rodney McCoy (13:25)
Scruff here, scruff, because I, I hate Grindr. I do not like Grindr. So, but that’s me personally.

Trevor Hoppe (13:34)
Definitely. Well, it sounds like you’ve had some pretty amazing early experiences. I wonder if there were some bad experiences along the way that might’ve taught you some lessons about what you’re into or not into or boundaries or lessons that you took away.

Rodney McCoy (13:52)
The answer is yes.

It’s funny because I talked about learning how to bottom and I do remember there was one and this happened I think for a lot of us. There was this because I mostly talked but there were guys who wanted to f*** me. guess they I guess I whatever I look like back there they were liking it. So I remember this this one guy in particular I mean very handsome very very masculine very muscular.

who really wanted to f* me and I was like at the time because I was more comfortable topping rather than bottoming it was like, okay, we can give it a try But I want to flip and he said, okay. Yeah, sure. You can do that. You know, we can you know, let me let me f* you first and then you can do me and He did me And it was it was okay But what what really got me was when and he came

And so was like, okay, it’s my turn. He’s like, no, no, no, no, no, no. Right. And that was very common. Games like that, well, at least among the circles that I ran in, that was very common. know, guys who said that, you’re like, who would say anything just to get the ass? So I heard of such tales until it happened to me. You know, guys who said they were top. And then when you got them, you like to wherever y ‘all were going.

Trevor Hoppe (15:01)
Really?

Rodney McCoy (15:22)
You know, you’re wondering why both your legs are

So I had heard that from too many of my friends. I was like, well, if that’s a problem, send them my way. Right. And I think, you know, like looking back, I wish he had just been honest. Cause that kind of messed with me a little bit. It’s like, you didn’t have to lie. You know, I could have either said, yeah, or I would have just said, no thanks. And you know, let’s just keep it pushing. The idea that someone would had to, you know, to lie just to get what you would want. That’s like not.

Trevor Hoppe (15:30)
Right?

Rodney McCoy (15:51)
I thought we were grown, we don’t have to do that. Another time that I also do remember was a buddy of mine had an ex that I wound up having sex with. And that was cold, and not cold, but that was bad for me for two reasons. When I had sex with my buddy’s ex, he said,

He got very cold. He was like, okay, we’re good. I’m good. You can see yourself to the door And I was like, I did and this was someone who I had known socially before we messed around and so I was like I never knew that side of you. Okay Okay And out of guilt I told my buddy what had happened. I didn’t I left out the cold part, but I said look I gotta tell you this is

he lit into my ass and not in a good way. And it’s so funny because then his ex, when he learned about it, he said, I wish I had told him not to tell him. Because apparently he heard about it too. And that’s when I, I’m not going to say I totally learned that lesson. That didn’t stick firmly into him much later in life. But it was my first glimpse

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should or be to. know, some men just need, there are so many of us out there, some of us just really need to be off limits. Especially if they’re connected to someone you know.

Trevor Hoppe (17:11)
yeah.

Yeah. And is that a rule for you now? Do you try to avoid people in your networks?

Rodney McCoy (17:25)
something.

I’m on.

Depends on who it is. Now in terms of work networks, do sometimes, depending on the person and depending on how we interact, for the most part, if we are working as colleagues, as a matter of fact, yes, work colleagues, even if they get me hot and I’m just like, yeah, I’m just like, no, I don’t sht where I eat. Not that sex is shtty unless you don’t clean out right. But.

But I’ve learned, you know, it’s just better to not mix work with that kind, with sexual pleasure. So that’s a hard, fast rule for me. If you are the ex of someone who I am close to, even if you’re the current of someone that I’m close to, either I’m just not gonna do it or there’s gonna be some conversation first. Because some people don’t mind, some people don’t care.

But that experience I told you about taught me some people do care. So at the very least have the conversation. That’s very important. And that’s what I would tell anyone. And if you’re afraid to have the conversation, then

Trevor Hoppe (18:39)
Yeah, exactly. And I think some people think it’s hard to even know what those emotions will be until you’re in the moment. And it can surprise you sometimes where you’re like, I thought that this would be cool. And now that I’m at it, I’m like, this is not cool. I totally, it’s a potentially volatile mix of emotions there. So I totally get that. What other kinds of, you know, rules or

Rodney McCoy (18:48)
Yes.

Trevor Hoppe (19:08)
or ways that you filter things that you’ve learned from having bad experiences that have helped you create some tactics for finding the good stuff and avoiding the bad stuff.

Rodney McCoy (19:22)
There are so many of us, seriously, in terms of guys, there are so many of us that if there is someone who’s not interested in me or someone who otherwise might be off limits to me, the first thing I had to learn was don’t stress it. Let it be and be okay with it. Be quite all right with it. There are so many more men.

Trevor Hoppe (19:42)
Amen.

Rodney McCoy (19:46)
that we can have fun with. The other thing is being okay with saying no and being told no.

Trevor Hoppe (19:55)
Yeah, it’s two -sided coin.

Rodney McCoy (19:57)
Exactly. And I’ve had to really, really embrace that because I’ve had to learn, you know what, I’m not everybody’s cup of tea. Not everybody is my cup of tea and I have a pretty big cup. You know, I have a very broad, you know, what I like and what I, as opposed to what I don’t like. Exactly. I have a Stanley Tumbler. Right. Sometimes it’s a Stanley cup.

Trevor Hoppe (20:14)
It’s one of those Stanley Tumblers, you know, just like this.

Mm -hmm

Rodney McCoy (20:24)
But the and the other side to that is even with that, there are still some, I’m just not feeling it. Or, and just like I can say no, I’ve had to look, the guys can tell me no too. Even if they don’t tell me no, but I just kind of get ghosted. Yes, that still happens in 2024. It’s like, okay, you gave me the message. I can take a hint. And even though would prefer people being honest, also, you know what, it’s okay. It’s okay, because.

I’ve had to learn while I’m busy stressing you or bumping my head over here, there’s someone over here. There may be more people over here who like, know, hello, what’s up? So that has really helped me in terms of really being more chill when it comes to just navigating this thing. Just navigating. Yeah, go ahead.

Trevor Hoppe (21:15)
And you mentioned the saying no thing and I’m just curious because this is a debate I have with myself basically all the time is do you actively say no or do you just not respond? Because I feel like those are both the same thing but people feel strongly. I feel about one direction or the other and I don’t know. What’s your feelings on the

Rodney McCoy (21:39)
I really do think if it’s an in -person interaction, I would definitely say, just saying, just saying. If you’re ambivalent, because sometimes there’s ambivalence.

If you’re a bifid, if you’re not sure, say so. If you’re just not feeling it, say so. I think the one area, and I struggle with this too, is we talked about the apps. I find that the apps are a space where that’s probably more acceptable if you reach out to someone and you don’t hear back, okay, they’re not interested, until they say otherwise.

that seems to be acceptable. So sometimes I’ve done that myself. I’ve been on not only doing it, being on the receiving end. I would say the apps probably are the only place where that’s somewhat acceptable. But in person, not just saying it, just just saying it. And that’s how I feel.

Trevor Hoppe (22:30)
Yeah, totally. Of course, I think the in -person thing makes sense. I’m such an internet baby that like, you know, the internet is such a locus of how I like think about having and finding sex. But yes, of course you can find it in person too.

Rodney McCoy (22:45)
And people forget that. As a matter of fact, I tend to do better when I meet people in person.

Trevor Hoppe (22:52)
Yeah. And why do you think that is? Because I think that’s true for myself as well and a lot of people. What do you think’s diff… You know, what works for you in person?

Rodney McCoy (23:03)
And let me say this, when I say in person, even this kind of face -to -face interaction to me is better because you get to vibe a person. You get to really get a sense of what their energy is. that looks are fine, but energy, if I look at a guy and I say, they look like they’d be a really good time.

That’s gonna get my attention, excuse me, much more than, or in addition to how they look. You know, because if you kind of look like you’re just gonna lay there regardless of your position or just kind of, or make it all about yourself, then it’s kind of like, or if there’s, just am not feeling this energy. No, no, no, you’re touching me. It’s like, as opposed to if you’re just being your natural charm itself and I’m just like, tell me more. Give me more.

Give me more. Yeah. And I think that’s it. You really can vibe off a person. And that says more than what any profile can say.

Trevor Hoppe (24:05)
Yeah, definitely. I have had many experiences where you think it’s gonna vibe based on online conversations, and then you get there you’re like, wow, your energy is just not a match for me. And I’m sure the opposite is true too, right guys? You’re not sure about, and then it just like clicks and they’re so charismatic.

Rodney McCoy (24:26)
Or they know what they’re doing and I and I have to say this so there’s a hot guy and that when I was in Fort Lauderdale and You know, we vibe we vibe it was just like off the chain and I’m that is that his husband excuse me, which at first I was kind of like physically I don’t But because they wanted to treat something they were married I was like why not?

but he knew how to use that dictum. I was like, whoa, okay. I might need to recalibrate some things here, because the math ain’t math -ing. I mean, in a way, I was glad the math didn’t math, because, I was fing the hubby. I was fing my friend, and then his friend was f***ing me. I was just kind

Trevor Hoppe (24:54)
Ha!

Dang.

Rodney McCoy (25:17)
This was me before I went. And I was, so sometimes you’re right. Sometimes you just don’t know. And, and again, talk about Fort Lauderdale, the same, the same event where I met this guy, there was another guy who I had met online and looks wise, I was kind of like, I’m not really feeling it. And I didn’t really give him that energy.

when I happened to be at this event where there was a f*** party. And there was this older gentleman who I kind of like, you know what, I’m liking his energy and we had so much fun. And then we looked at each other, was like, I know you, yeah, we were talking. And so at the time we were like, we need to do this again. And I was really into it. We did not hook up again, unfortunately, because that happens sometimes at events like

But that was a lesson for me. It’s like, you know, sometimes, yeah, there is a difference between what is online versus what’s in person.

Trevor Hoppe (26:25)
Amen. And do you have any tips for people to like, suss out the vibe online? Because I feel like that’s the biggest challenge.

Rodney McCoy (26:33)
I would say if a person is willing to talk, if they’re willing to chat, that is the first main thing for me because I’ve seen some guys put in their profile, I’m not here for the back and forth, I’m not here to make small talk and on the one hand, I get it, we know what we’re all here for, thank you for being very clear. But that also said to

you’re probably a pus bag. so, and yes, pus bag, exactly. So a little bit about that. So as a top, I love fing. I love aholes literally. So my current partner was like, well, I hate saying current partner, like they’ll be the next one. So my baby, my baby was like, but you like a*holes. And he had firsthand experience of my love for

So we were like, doesn’t make sense to say, to call someone an a**hole when it’s clear you like them. So that’s how we were like, well, so what would be a body part, something with a body that would just be like so disgusting. And that’s where we came up with the pus bag. So, right. So, and so even though I get it, you’re on here, you’re not about to chit chat, you’re like, let’s just get it done, but it still has a whiff of the pus bag about it. So if someone is willing to talk.

Trevor Hoppe (27:41)
repulsive.

I like that.

Rodney McCoy (28:00)
by, you know, answer questions and also talk, you know, like find out about what they like and what you like. I think that’s a good start. You know, it’s like, yeah, that might be. And if there’s consistency, you know, I think those, that’s a good way to start.

Trevor Hoppe (28:17)
Definitely a good way to start and it’s hard to get a handle on some time and I struggle with it as well because sometimes you’re just, you’re looking and someone’s interested but they’re just not giving you what you need to get there and it can be sometimes hard to sort of set that boundary for yourself. like, whatever’s on the other side of this door, you know, just not willing to kind of risk it given their inability to communicate. So I feel that. Communication, I guess.

Rodney McCoy (28:42)
right and and and just like guys who say i don’t want to communicate they’ll put that in their profile those of us might be like let’s communicate let’s buy we can put that in our

Trevor Hoppe (28:57)
I like that. So not just being negative about it, being positive, being like, this is what I want. I, you know what? I’m going to put that in my profile like now, because I think you sometimes have to put out what you want to receive in the world. And that is one good. So that is a tip I really appreciate to put it out there. So thank you for that. Before we segue to the good stuff, I just want to stop one more little train station. I’m curious.

Rodney McCoy (29:13)
you’re welcome.

sure.

Trevor Hoppe (29:27)
After you’ve had a bad encounter with someone, are you ever willing to go back for seconds?

Rodney McCoy (29:34)
It depends. And I’m going to say it depends what the bad experience is. If the bad experience is a person didn’t maybe wasn’t as fresh, wasn’t as clean, didn’t clean as well as they thought. Yes. If everything else was otherwise good.

I would go back and be like, hey, you weren’t as fresh doing me. And I’ve also had to learn, and this is where bottoming for me helped too, because I was one of those plus bag tops. Ooh, you painted on me. Ooh, you weren’t quite as fresh. Ooh, I’m never going to have sex with you again. ooh, girl, let me tell you what happened with so and so and so and so. I was that top. I was

It was only when I started bottoming that I realized, you know what Rod, you’re a pus back against the top. You need to chill. So, right, exactly. And I don’t mind telling all myself even. So, know, so things like that, I’ve learned showing some grace around, you know, if a guy’s not too clean, you know, either give him a chance to clean up or maybe not today.

But let’s try again another time, especially if everything else is going well. There have been some situations either because we’re just not compatible, the energy is not there, it feels like I’m doing all this work or I’m not getting, like for example, guys who, for me, I like noise. If a guy is just so quiet or there’s no gesture, just kind of like,

And I believe when they say I’m enjoying myself and I’m just like, but I’m not

a guy who doesn’t know how to listen to me. In fact, I did have to tell this guy. No, because bottoming especially, it’s like I’m trusting you. So if I say slow down and you don’t slow down, you know, and right now I’m not even talking about consent violation, borderline sexual assault. I’m talking about you don’t know how to listen to me and I’m trusting you with my body. So apparently no.

And I had to tell someone because he enjoyed it. I said, no, you know, you’re about you. You don’t know how to listen to me. So, no, it wasn’t fun for me. So, yes, to answer your question, I’ve had some experiences where I did not and would not after if it was like that, if it was just incompatibility or you’re not listening to me or care about me.

Trevor Hoppe (32:01)
Yeah, I think those are the moments where, you know, we learn a little bit of humanity sometimes in the way we treat people and also just learn a little bit about what we need and deserve.

Rodney McCoy (32:14)
How about that? And I think a lot of us, and particularly as gay and bisexual men, how we come into our own is so much shrouded in shame and punishment and belittling. So we almost feel like we have to be secretive. And yet the thing about sex that makes it work is when you can talk about what your desires are. But at the same time,

Trevor Hoppe (32:15)
Yeah, deserve. We deserve things.

Rodney McCoy (32:40)
We’re taught to hide our desires and just our desires to get sexual with other men. And that’s not even talking about cake. That’s not even talking about different forms of relationships. You know, just the idea of me desiring someone of the same sex or both sexes or all sexes, you know, that I’m not hetero, you know, that. And I think that sometimes feeds into that sense of shame, that sense of I can’t really let anyone know what I’m about.

can probably lend itself to some of the bad experience.

Trevor Hoppe (33:13)
Thinking back on all the sex you’ve had in your life, you don’t have to think about a specific experience maybe, but if one comes to mind, but like what do you think looking back counts as like best sex, either a specific experience or context or like what gets you there?

Rodney McCoy (33:31)
Hmm, that’s sense. Well off the top of my head noise. Noice. Topping or bottoming or flipping or borrow or whatever. I need noise. Because noise says to me, A, whatever I’m doing you’re enjoying it and I love that.

Trevor Hoppe (33:49)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (33:50)
It also shows yeah, I love that it also shows that you know, you’re uninhibited You’re really in the moment that encourages me to be in the moment with you. I love noise I love those sex noises definitely That to me is best sex best sex is When I can say what I want you to do and you can tell me what you like me to do for example

If I can say, watch the teeth, careful of the teeth, and you’re like, ooh, sorry, and then you just adjust accordingly, that is good sense. Not getting offended or embarrassed. No, it’s just like, the thing is is that I’m learning you, you’re learning me. We have to communicate what we like. If I can communicate what I like, if you feel comfortable communicating to me what you want.

Trevor Hoppe (34:28)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (34:42)
In fact, I do kind of like it. was talking with a friend of mine who’s straight, who’s hetero, and we were listening to some songs where these women who are rappers or singers are really assertive in terms of what they want their partner to do. And he’s getting into it. And I was just like, do you like it when a woman tells you what she wants? And he just looked back and said, yeah.

And I realize I’m the same way when it comes to, and I’ve had my own experiences with women and I like an assertive woman too, but it’s really guys and guys who own what they like, whether it’s being dicked down, whether it’s, you know, me coming on their face, you know, whether, and if you love me eating ass, we are golden. That’s one of the things that definitely I

eating ass as the act in and of itself as the prelude to what’s next and a guy who loves me eating his ass. mmm. And God help me if you like eating ass too, because I don’t get enough of that. I live in DC. It truly is bottom city. And so, you know, so on the one hand, it’s great because I get to eat ass, but then it’s like, but this verse top loves his ass eating too. So someone who loves doing that, I’m just like, aw, come on.

Trevor Hoppe (35:39)
That does

Rodney McCoy (35:58)
So I mean, I hope this kind of answers your question in terms of what to me is good sex.

Trevor Hoppe (36:03)
Yeah, the noise is key. And like when you say noise, I’m assuming we’re talking about a broad spectrum of things. Is there a thing that like, I don’t know, what do you feel like it does for you, the noise?

Rodney McCoy (36:17)
The noise lets me know you’re enjoying yourself. It lets me know that you’re present. It lets me know, particularly if I’m topping, that what I’m doing to you is really turning you on. And that strokes my ego. I think tops miss the point when they make it all about their nut. It’s like, no, dude, you need to make sure your partners are satisfied for two reasons. One, they’ll come back.

Trevor Hoppe (36:30)
Mmm.

Rodney McCoy (36:46)
they’ll come back. Number two, they’ll tell their friends.

Trevor Hoppe (36:50)
I love

Rodney McCoy (36:52)
And they’ll tell their friends. what that means is it does that sometimes it does mean that you’ll get some friends who will want to get with you too. And that’s an ego stroke. or sexual experience in the making. But it’s also a way and I’ll admit to build a reputation. You know, if we let’s be honest, you know, I think as men in particular. We like having a good reputation on anything we do.

He’s great to hang out with, he’s great to talk to, he’s a really good listener. he’s a great worker. He’s a great f**k.

So my whole thing is, whether I get with your friends who are not with your, you know, with your permission, going back to what we talked about earlier, the fact that guys have something good to say. In fact, there’s this dude I wanted to get with for years, who at one time looked at me and said, I’ve heard about you. And what did you hear? And he just smiled and walked away. I was like, okay. All right. Yeah.

So it’s a win -win for tops to focus on their bottom partners. It really is. It’s not about what they do for us. It’s what we do for them. And so noise is like, it says to me, noise is like, you’re a grown ass man. You’re a grown ass man. You’re comfortable in your sexuality, which is a turn off for me.

And it’s like, you’re not afraid to express when something feels good. And especially if something I’m doing to for or with you makes you feel that good. God, it’s such the huge turn on. Yeah. Noise. Noise and kissing. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (38:28)
I love that. Do you find, this isn’t a side, but in my experience, Americans are very noisy and then when I go abroad, people are less so if you had that experience at

Rodney McCoy (38:42)
I have not had as much experience as abroad when it comes to sex. And the guys who are foreign born who come here almost feel like they’ve got the space now to make boys. yeah, so I really can’t comment again because of my relative lack of experience with sex abroad.

Trevor Hoppe (39:05)
No, that’s, totally get it. just one of those things that I hear from like my French, one of my friends is French is like, gosh, you Americans are so loud in bed. And, and he was like, French people are not loud at all. And, it fascinates me because I like the noise too. So I think of it as a good thing and a form of communication. But my, French friend was like very put off by it. It was like, you’re too noisy, but I love the noise. So I’m here for it. So.

Is it important for you whether you’re partner orgasms? Thinking of like best sex, like how does orgasm factor

Rodney McCoy (39:40)
The truth is yes, it is important to me. Whether it’s ejaculation or an assgasm or both. I like and I’ve always been the top who really gets off on pleasing his partner. That does more for me than getting my own nut. So when you’re coming, when you’re orgasming, when you’re assgasming, when you’re shooting, that makes my dick harder.

Trevor Hoppe (39:48)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (40:08)
that gets me physically hotter. That just puts a smile to my face. That’s just like, yeah. You know, even to the point where if I’m having sex and I’m kind of ambivalent about coming, I’ll be like, no, I’m good. I’m good. trust. I’m good.

Trevor Hoppe (40:23)
Yeah, so for you, actually, it’s more important that they come than you yourself.

Rodney McCoy (40:30)
Because I can always take care of myself. For better and for worse I can. No, I’m gonna put a better on that I can always take care of myself if I have to You know if he wants to see me come, know, and I’m feeling if I’m not feeling it I’ll be like I’m not feeling but if I’m feeling it I’ll be like, okay Give me a few minutes if he comes first. So it’s like I can always take care of myself, but I love the idea of

Trevor Hoppe (40:30)
Interesting.

Rodney McCoy (40:53)
him really enjoying himself because again I like pleasing my partners and honestly it does kind of build a good reputation, “Oh, he’s a good top!”

Trevor Hoppe (41:02)
I love the reputation idea. I had not considered that, but of course it makes sense when you think about it that word travels.

Rodney McCoy (41:04)
Yeah!

Yeah, I mean, we’re sitting here talking about sex publicly. You know, imagine if you and I, if it wasn’t an interview, but it was just Trevor and Rod talking, you know, and there might be some names that we might privately even say some names. let me tell you about this dude. Because, oof, you know, and that’s just how and that’s just how we do. So for those of us who think I can treat my partners topping or bottoming any old kind of way.

And that’s why when people will be like, well, I understand why I can’t get with such and such and such and such or or people don’t seem to gravitate toward me. I don’t understand why. You know, where’s my imaginary cup of tea like?

I’ve heard about you.

You might want to rethink that, that thing that you do and that thing you don’t do. Yeah.

Trevor Hoppe (42:00)
My mouth, my lips are sealed. sure I don’t know anyone like that.

Rodney McCoy (42:05)
You know and and and if it’s just me I will own that my experience has been and I’ve been on both sides of that so

Trevor Hoppe (42:15)
I’m sure we all, I think I say this to my friends all the time as I’m showing my friend a Grindr profile, I’m like, my God, how many people have shown other people my Grindr profile and said X, and Z about, right? Like, of course they have.

Rodney McCoy (42:27)
And I never even thought about that, because I was just thinking in terms of live conversation with your boy or with your best girl or with your good Judy. But I didn’t even think about the profile. It’s like, my partner and I did something like that similar just recently. And it was so funny, because I was just on, like, we’re grins and giggles, because I do that sometimes when I travel. It’s like, who’s going to pop up? Who’s around?

Trevor Hoppe (42:41)
Yeah.

Exactly!

Rodney McCoy (42:54)
And he happened to be with me. I was like, look, baby, look. Look who all is here. And he recognized one or two people. So I was like, yes, it truly is. Truly is.

Trevor Hoppe (43:02)
It’s a small gay world sometimes.

Thinking about that best sex, if you had the power, if you had that like Thanos glove and could snap and just turn fantasy into reality and make like that fantasy come to life, like what would that best sex fantasy look like to you?

Rodney McCoy (43:22)
I’m trying to think well first of all I have I have fantasy of and I might as well put it up put it out there here I have a fantasy of having sex with identical twins that has always been a fantasy of mine that I have always wanted to have so definitely a hot pair of and we’re men of a certain age so if I say a hot pair of double mint twins

Trevor Hoppe (43:47)
-huh.

Rodney McCoy (43:48)
so yeah, something like that. ooh, what else? What else?

Alright, so I have a birthday coming

I have always wanted to have a birthday orgy where, yeah, where I f* all the bottoms, all the tops of the verse, f* me, then it’s a free for all, and then when everyone decides they wanna come, it’s one big bukkake scene on yours truly.

Trevor Hoppe (44:18)
Fabulous, that sounds attainable.

Rodney McCoy (44:21)
I’ll probably wait a year or two because I was with someone last year Where I was like help me put this together. I was dating someone so I was like, you know, you’re a freak I’m a freak help me put this together. It never happened It never happened. So it did not happen. So But yeah, I I do want a birthday orgy at some point I really do

Trevor Hoppe (44:36)
Yeah? Aww.

Rodney McCoy (44:47)
I probably, if I think of something else, and of course different celebrities and things like that, I’m just like, God, there are too many to name. There really are. Idris Elba is at the top of the list.

Trevor Hoppe (44:55)
Who does it for you?

my gosh, yeah, he could.

Rodney McCoy (45:07)
So could Henry Cavill.

Trevor Hoppe (45:10)
that’s a big man.

Rodney McCoy (45:12)
I like to climb trees. yes. Let me see. Who else? else? You know what? For some reason, you know what? It’s the, I think it’s the Deadpool thing, but Ryan Reynolds has a body on him and he’s so snarky. It’s like you’re so snarky with that mouth. What else do that mouth do?

Trevor Hoppe (45:13)
Ha ha ha ha!

Rodney McCoy (45:33)
So Ryan Reynolds, God, who else? I just took one of these like online Facebook quizzes where, so I’m gonna have to think about that. Certain celebrities, know, sports figures, like pretty much damn near a lot of the guys at the Olympics this year. my God, my God. The pole vaulter. the,

Trevor Hoppe (45:52)
yeah. The pole vaulter.

Rodney McCoy (46:00)
The Turkish guy with the gun who just looked like he just walked off off the street. Just decided to shoot a few things and got a silver medal, but he’s hot though. Noah Lyles, Noah Lyles kind of like, okay, I see you. I know what we can do with some of those medals. Who all else? Marcell Jacobs from Italy. You have Marcel, one L, Jacob. yes.

Trevor Hoppe (46:06)
The shooter.

Ugh. Mm -hmm.

I’ll have to check them out. Yeah, they are pretty at the Olympics for sure. you’re pretty.

Rodney McCoy (46:31)
my God, my God. I would be like Janet Jackson, one of her earlier hits, No Sleep. No Sleep. wait a minute, and Frederick Richard and Stephen the pommel horse guy. Those two, those two. Woof, woof. mm -hmm, yeah. I’m a bit of a freak, so.

Trevor Hoppe (46:46)
so cute. So

I love that you focus, you have very like focused ideas of like hot, it’s like attached to bodies in a particular, sometimes I ask this question and it’s so abstract, but you’re like, you know, you know what you want. And I love that. That’s very.

Rodney McCoy (47:12)
I like what I like and there’s a and for me what I also appreciate is that for me there’s this wide range of what I like, of what turns me on. It’s a combination of yeah, the Stanley Cup, you know. So it’s like you have a pretty good chance with me. Pretty good chance if you’ve got a handsome face and a decent, nice or tight, hot, whatever tight and hot is, yeah. And you’ve got a personality to match.

Trevor Hoppe (47:21)
the Stanley Cup.

Rodney McCoy (47:41)
and freak energy, freak energy, whatever that freak energy is, whether it’s obvious or, you know, like where it’s just, you you step into a room and your freak flag is like up. The sexy nerdy thing gets me too. In fact, the pommel horse guy embodies with his body, embodies sexy nerd. It’s like, yeah, mm -hmm. He’s got a girlfriend.

But if he ever, and if he does play for the other team, he’s gonna have me

Trevor Hoppe (48:11)
what is, this is a term that people throw around, but I don’t think anyone ever really defines. Like, what does freak mean to you?

Rodney McCoy (48:20)
There’s a key syllable and that is free. And when I think of freak, a person who is free with their desires, yeah, a person who is free with their desires. They can name it, they can claim it, they have no problem expressing it, they have no shame about it. Yeah, I don’t do the walk of shame, I do the stride of pride. And that to me is right, right.

I what am I ashamed for? I got a recommendation. What am I ashamed for? You know, there were two or three nuts between us. What am I ashamed for? We made noise. And that’s what a freak is. He, she, they are so free in terms of who they are sexually. That shame has no place in it. And they’re willing to do and explore and be whoever they are sexually.

That to me is a

Trevor Hoppe (49:16)
Emphasis on the free and freak. think that’s fabulous and helps me because it’s something that I, maybe I’m gonna add that to my profile too. I got a lot of things to add to my profile after this conversation.

Rodney McCoy (49:28)
You’re welcome. You’re welcome.

Trevor Hoppe (49:31)
What kind of skills do you think it takes to have the best sex?

Rodney McCoy (49:34)
Wow Communication That’s I would say that would be the number one, you know, there are I think many things up in here that we like and that we’d like to do But it needs to be able to come here to be able to say this is what I want to do. That’s the number one skill

I would say that’s the number one skill, communication. This is the other thing too. When we say, you you should know, you should know, you know, even for those of us who are sexually active and have been for a while, if we don’t satisfy our partner, the whole either in the moment or in general, then it’s like, well, you should know this, you should know this. And I’m like, dude, this is the first time I’m having sex with you. I don’t know you, not really.

Yeah, and to me, such statements like that are like, don’t project onto the other person the work they’re not doing because you didn’t do the work yourself of really knowing what you like, how you like it, and more importantly, to effectively say, this is what I want. That’s why if guys say, you know, to me doing sex not so hard or harder, whatever that is, to me, that’s perfect because it’s like, okay, now I know what to do. If it’s like,

Not there, but here. Again, I need to know that. Or you missed a spot. Again, I need to know that. know, some guys are extremely hardwired in their nipples. Some are not. You know, some guys, exactly. Some guys love to have their asses eaten. Some can take it or leave it. Again, that’s the one thing where I’ll say that’s because you haven’t had it done right. That’s the only thing.

Trevor Hoppe (51:00)
Amen. Some don’t like it at all.

Ha ha ha

Rodney McCoy (51:15)
Some guys like to have their dick sucked. Some of us do not or some of us are ambivalent You know some of us some of us don’t like teeth. Some of us don’t mind a little sweeping I Found that out not too long. I was like, okay I’d rather have dentures that I can pop out rather than scrape a dick But you know again if you tell me that’s okay that turns me on then I’ll be like, okay, where are my canines? so

Trevor Hoppe (51:21)
Yeah,

Rodney McCoy (51:42)
But so it goes back out. I would say that’s it. Communication. And also knowing what you like. Because…

Trevor Hoppe (51:42)
Communication, yeah.

Yeah, that takes time, right? I mean, that’s so hard. think even, you know, as I’m in my, just, turned 41 recently and it’s still amazing when you learn new things. Old dogs can be taught new tricks, it turns out, but there is a baseline that you need people to be in touch with and, yeah.

Rodney McCoy (52:00)
Yes. Yes.

I would agree, yeah. And being able to communicate that. And to listen. And to listen. Just because five guys before you said they liked that thing, and the sixth guy was like, not so much, you know. And I’m gonna own my stuff. Once upon a time I would be in my physical damn everybody else would do, why don’t you like it? And that goes with the same and hearing no. If they don’t like that, then the next question is, okay, then what would you like me to do? What does

So yes, being able to listen.

Trevor Hoppe (52:38)
What tips would you have for young queer men out there trying to find that best sex but struggling to find

Rodney McCoy (52:44)
The first question I would have is what are you struggling around? If you’re struggling around with being okay with being sexual, what I would, and this is not a read, this is for real. know, counseling is a good thing. A gay sex positive counselor, because there’s a lot of messaging around, particularly men having sex with each other. For some reason, women having sex with each other,

I’m not going to say it’s 100 % acceptable, but women can get a pass. You know, it can be exoticized even, not necessarily for the better, but at least the idea isn’t foreign to a lot of people, but there’s still even a tad more shame and judgment passed still for our sex between each, between, between guys. That’s a lot to unpack to really get to heaven to get. Yeah.

Don’t be ashamed if you need to speak to a counselor about it. That’s number one. Because God knows even in terms of learning how to bottom, there’s some internal mental stuff that I had to get past as well. Eventually I had to talk to people and not just the therapist, but even guys who bottomed it. It’s like, well, how did you navigate this? Or what do you think of this? So one, check the messaging. That’s the big thing. Because once we can get past the shame and the guilt, then it can be

masturbate and play with yourself. You know, a lot of times people treat masturbation like it is the, how do I put it, the appetizer. Or no, no, no, it is the, how do I put this?

It’s what you do in the meantime until you get the real thing. And masturbation is not a placeholder. It is not a filler. It is a viable experience because that is how you learn how you like to have your dck scked That’s how you learn if you like to play with other parts of your body, how you like to be stroked. Again, what other parts of your body you like to be touched. What kind of pressure do you like? Do you like a light touch?

Trevor Hoppe (54:27)
Mmm. Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (54:52)
You need something firm. Toys. Toys for your dick. Toys for your ass. Toys, you know, to play with other parts of your body. You know, different types of lube Masturbation, self -play, solo play. I can’t emphasize that enough. That also helped me bottoming. It still gets me through if I don’t, I live in DC. So I don’t always, I don’t always get the dick that I want when I want it.

Trevor Hoppe (55:02)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (55:21)
the toys come in handy and it also helps me prepare. I’ve got toys dildos of different sizes and different thicknesses. So it helps me to play with different textures, different lengths in different positions. So when I finally do get some dick, it’s like, okay, I’m more ready. know, that’s one of the ways I would say to young men, don’t be afraid to play yourself and don’t be afraid to play with yourself because if I’m playing with you, I want to know what you like.

you can have a better way to tell me. And don’t be afraid to have sex with more than one person because that’s how we learn. know, guys, we do different things with guys, they do different things with us. That’s also how we learn. And with that, I would say, don’t forget condoms, PrEP, DoxiePep, getting tested every three to six months. That’s, in my work in HIV prevention, what I tell young men

Trevor Hoppe (55:52)
Mm -hmm.

Rodney McCoy (56:18)
If you want to play the grown -up game, you gotta know the grown -up rules. And those are the rules. Everything I’m saying right now, these are the grown -up rules. This is how you get to being like us.

Trevor Hoppe (56:31)
Playing the big leagues. I like that. Get that Stanley Cup. All these sports analogies.

Rodney McCoy (56:32)
Playing in the big leagues. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I am a guy who loves sports, so I do. Football season is coming, kind of unintended. And like I tell any guy that I’m with, it’s like, be prepared to join football with me or at least be okay to be a football widow, or widower, excuse

Trevor Hoppe (56:54)
I mean, I love the outfits for sure. It’s, yeah.

Rodney McCoy (56:58)
I love both, especially when they’re playing the game in the rain and they’ve got those light colored jerseys and pants and the moisture is showing everything while you are doing that Hail Mary pass to win the game that I bet on. I’m one of those few gay guys who really enjoy the game and not just the players themselves, but I actually enjoy the game itself.

Trevor Hoppe (57:23)
Well, I like to end with the same question every time. A segment I called Sorted Lives and Untold Tales or SLUT for shirt. What’s the sluttiest thing you’ve ever

Rodney McCoy (57:32)
yes, that’s right.

Now I’m almost embarrassed to mention it. So the first time I went to, God, there are two stories. I, I can make two quick stories? Okay, so one of the sluttiest things I did was, well, this was kind of mild in comparison, but the first one was kind of mild where I was in Montreal and I was with a partner at the time

Trevor Hoppe (57:46)
Absolutely.

Rodney McCoy (58:04)
things quite bluntly things were not good things were not good and I was like you know what he’s gone to bed I still want some action I want something I didn’t know what so I went so the hotel we were staying at had a bar downstairs so I just decided okay let me just go on some shoes and an oversized t -shirt it was the 90s and that was all and I went downstairs mixed and mingled

And some guys, know, and I wore it low enough that you couldn’t exactly see, but if you look real closely, you could, and some guys were like, is that the only thing you’re wearing? It’s like, maybe, maybe.

Trevor Hoppe (58:43)
I love that!

Rodney McCoy (58:43)
And again, ironically nothing happened, sexual, but I got a lot of attention and I got a lot of energy. I did. No.

Trevor Hoppe (58:51)
-huh. Were you wearing underwear?

Dang! Bold!

Rodney McCoy (58:56)
No, no, no jockstrap. No, I was bold. again, but it came out of the space of like just wanting some kind of attention. And ironically, and again, nothing sexual happened, but I didn’t realize at the time I just wanted attention. So I wound up doing that and got some attention before I went back upstairs. Yeah. And the other thing was, again, playing out in orgy.

Trevor Hoppe (59:18)
of that.

Rodney McCoy (59:24)
sucking as much dick as I could and finally I was just like you know what and I I did I think this was before I learned what bukkake was I was sucking off these guys in a circle and so I wanted all of them to come on me and so I kept sucking on them until one after the other just shot on me and the host and I got up at one point because I had to shout and one dude just and the host just looked at me and he was like jeez you’re covered in cum

And I was. And it was glorious. Glorious. And trying to think. I don’t know if this counts as slutty, but me and my best friend and his husband, my best friend at the time, Maggie Rest In Peace, and his husband and I went to an orgy together. And there was another dude turned out to be a boxer. And so long story short, I’m trying to remember what it was. I think, no, so me and my best friend,

Trevor Hoppe (59:55)
And you were like, yeah.

Rodney McCoy (1:00:22)
He was fing one guy, I was fing another, and we literally were side by side, sinking our thrusts in time, you know, with each other. So we were going in at the same time, we were coming out and going in at the same time. Sometimes we lost the rhythm and then sometimes we got it back. And I was f***ing a boxer and I didn’t realize he was a boxer until after he…

left and was like why are you following us? And I was like yeah, f*** the hell out of you and you wanted more.

Trevor Hoppe (1:00:58)
Yes!

Rodney McCoy (1:00:59)
Yeah, I was, know, Tinashe ain’t got nothing on me. She’s the one who sings Nasty Girl. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. I was like, I’m glad you’re singing the song, but girl, you ain’t got nothing on

Trevor Hoppe (1:01:12)
my God. Well, amen to that. Clearly you are right. Those stories were fabulous. Thank you for sharing them because, you know, I just think sometimes talking about it, frankly, it’s just real. Like we have these moments where we feel like we’ve got the Stanley Cup right in our hands and it feels nice. So thank you. And thank you so much for making the time, Rod. I really am grateful.

Rodney McCoy (1:01:33)
Right.

Trevor Hoppe (1:01:39)
for your wisdom and insight and experience. Where can people find you if they wanna learn more about you?

Rodney McCoy (1:01:45)
Okay, so I do have a website and it’s Rodney McCoy, R -O -D -M -C -C -O -Y dot info. If you reach me there, you can leave me a message. It’ll come to my email and I have two emails. can reach, not yet, do it through the website. You can also reach me on Instagram, on IG. I am daddy, D -A -D -D -Y dot Rod.

That’s me on Instagram and on Facebook. I am daddy rod D a D D I E Rod and I’m D a D D I E because Facebook won’t let me be great

Trevor Hoppe (1:02:27)
Dang Facebook and Meta. Well, thank you very much. I am so grateful for the conversation and I look forward to hearing more from you out in the world down the road. Thanks.

Rodney McCoy (1:02:32)
Thank you. Thank you so much.

And you will. And you will. Thank you.

Trevor Hoppe (1:02:46)
That’s our show for today. Thank you so much for listening. Truly, I am very grateful. And remember, if you’re not having your best gay sex, I’m here to help. As a sex coach, I can help you identify and overcome barriers that are standing between you and your best gay sex. Find out more on my website, thebestgaysex.net. Till next time, see you soon.

S01E03 – “Practice” ft. Alexander Cheves