Public sex refers to sexual acts

Human sexual behavior

Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...

 that take place in public

Public space

A public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...

 or semi-public places, and does not necessarily imply that the sexual activity takes place outdoors. Public places where sex acts can be performed include a car (commonly called parking

Car sex

Car sex, or sex in a car or colloquially called parking, refers to sexual acts that take place in a car, truck, van or other motor vehicle. A car is a popular place for young people to make out. Popular location for young people to make out in a car are at drive-in theatres, and romantic,...

), on a beach, in the woods, as well as in a theatre, bus, street, besides other places. Other known places where public sex has taken place include a toilet

Toilet

A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...

, cubicle

Cubicle

Тhe cubicle, cubicle desk, office cubicle or cubicle workstation is a partially enclosed workspace, separated from neighboring workspaces by partitions that are usually tall...

, or a cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

. Public sex can also refer to sexual activity which takes place in a private place

Private place

A private place is a self-governing enclave whose common areas are owned by the residents, and whose services are provided by the private sector....

 but can be viewed in a public place. Such private places can include the back yard or even the bedroom with the curtains open.

Social views related to public sex and sexuality vary greatly between different cultures and different times. There are many and varied laws which apply to sex in public, which use a variety of terms such as indecent exposure

Indecent exposure

Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...

, public lewdness, gross indecency

Gross indecency

Gross indecency is a UK and Canadian legal term of art which was used in the definition of the following criminal offences:*Gross indecency between men, contrary to section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 and later contrary to section 13 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956.*Indecency with a...

 beside others. In some jurisdictions an offense is committed only if the participants are seen by others, so that if a toilet cubicle is closed then no offense may have been committed. That is the situation, for example, in the United Kingdom as a result of the Sexual Offences Act 2003

Sexual Offences Act 2003

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland that was passed in 2003 and became law on 1 May 2004.It replaced older sexual offences laws with more specific and explicit wording...

.

Prior to the development of the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

, some gay

Gay

Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....

-identified men met in public settings (park

Park

A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

s, washroom

Washroom

A public toilet is a room or small building containing one or more toilets and possibly also urinals which is available for use by the general public, or in a broader meaning of "public", by customers of other...

s, beats

Gay beat

In Australia, the term beat is used to refer to an area frequented by gay men and non-gay-identifying men who have sex with men who are cruising for casual sex, and where sexual acts occur. This use of the word parodies the beat walked by a police officer or a prostitute...

, and other cruising areas) in order to have sex. In the UK, there has been a rise in public sex on premises venues, possibly due to a more relaxed approach to enforcement of laws relating to this act since the early 1990s.

A high frequency of public, outdoor sex is rumored to exist in Vancouver's many parks and beaches and in beaches and parks in San Francisco. According to the magazine New York

New York (magazine)

New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...

, public sex occurs relatively frequently in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and is a fantasy common to a wide number of people.

In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, sex in a semi-public place is sometimes known as dogging

Dogging (sexual slang)

Dogging is a British English euphemism for engaging in sexual acts in a public or semi-public place or watching others doing so. There may be more than two participants; both group sex and gang banging can be included. As observation is encouraged, voyeurism and exhibitionism are closely associated...

. Cottaging

Cottaging

Cottaging is a British gay slang term referring to anonymous sex between men in a public lavatory , or cruising for sexual partners with the intention of having sex elsewhere...

 is a term applied predominately to seeking out homosexual activity in public places, such as parks and public toilets.

In popular culture

• Public sex was the subject of the 2009 British film Dogging:A Love Story, which was released in the U.S. under the title Public Sex, directed by Simon Ellis
  Simon Ellis
  Simon Ellis is a musical director who has worked with Britney Spears, S Club 7 and East 17.-External links:**...
  
  and written by Michael Groom and Norman Brock.