London leads the bator world, does your city make the list?

In my quest to find out as much about our community as possible – without being creepy about it – I decided to take a look at where BuddyBate merch and the Button Project have been most successful since we started it.

I thought it might be fun to check out which cities have the highest number of bators looking for other bators to have fun with, using our exclusive merch.

LONDON, ENGLAND (pop. 8.9 million) leads the world in bators, apparently.

I suppose this isn’t such a surprise. I was born in London and we are a bunch of wankers lol. The London Jack Off Club is one of the most popular events taking place in the capital. They sell out every time and they found the need to start a second night to accommodate all the eager men looking to get their dicks out with each other for some rubbing fun. Be warned, it can be hard to get tickets. Of course, interest in the BuddyBate Button Project is also influenced by shipping. As BlokeToys is in England shipping around the UK is free, it does cost a little to ship further afield. We know of at least 5 members of the BuddyBate community who have now found other bators in London using the buttons and stickers. It was one of the first successes of the project and we’re sure there are several others we don’t know about who’ve met other bators in pubs and clubs around the city, or just on the Tube on their way to or from work. Not everyone is brave enough to attend a formal club with a hundred other men, but we know there are smaller, private groups held in domestic properties around the city and while they don’t advertise they do look for local bators to join in.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (pop. 2.7 million) takes second place.

Again, I can’t say I’m too surprised. Early on I had the distinct impression Chicago was a very busy city for bators. It seemed buttons and stickers were being shipped there every week and I knew of at least three private bator groups operating in the city and meeting up regularly. In 2016 I befriended a guy on social media who was running such a group, with 6 guys meeting to edge their dongs for a few hours every couple of weeks. I’m still surprised there is no official male bator club operating in the city, unless there is and we just don’t know about it. If anyone wants to start one we’d be happy to promote it.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (pop. 3.9 million) comes in third.

I’m not gonna lie, when we started the BuddyBate button project I was sure the liberal attitudes of the US west coast would make it the most popular area for bator communities and guys seeking to find other bators to share their strokes with. I’m actually surprised LA isn’t at the top of the list, especially with a larger population than Chicago. Then again, maybe Chicago is just the outlier. It seems reasonable for LA to come second after London, so maybe Chicago just does a better job of keeping their bator community going? It is true that Angel City Jacks closed down years ago and LAX Jacks only recently took its place, so maybe things will change now that there’s a new community growing there again.

NYC, NEW YORK (pop. 8.4 million)

Isn’t it odd? Once again we might expect that a city like New York would be higher placed than Chicago, but somehow the several million extra men there doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference when it comes to guys seeking other bators to play with. What exactly is it about Chicago that makes it such a bator capital of the US? NY Jacks operates there but it’s currently on hiatus due to the pandemic. You’d think with so many men in the city there would be room for several clubs, but perhaps we just don’t know about the many private groups around the city and surrounding areas.

DALLAS, TEXAS (pop. 1.3 million)

I’m going to reveal a few biases here and admit that I had no idea Texas would be such a bator hub. They do say everything is bigger in Texas and it seems the need to share jacking with other guys is included in that. If I recall correctly, Dallas was one of the first communities to jump into the BuddyBate Button Project and we started shipping merch to eager bators there in the first week. Once again, it seems there is no formal jack off club in Dallas, someone should get on that.

HOUSTON, TEXAS (pop. 2.3 million)

Although Houston is sixth on our list it’s not the last time we’re heading back to Texas, and there are hundreds of other bators in surrounding areas. So many smaller communities around Houston have bators looking for buddies that it’s one of the busiest areas on the global map. Despite this, Houston doesn’t have an official jack off club that we’re aware of. The Yahoo community closed when its Groups were abandoned and we’re not aware of the members meeting or moving to any other platform. No doubt there are unofficial smaller clubs of guys meeting and we just don’t know about them.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA (pop. 870K)

I don’t know why I expected the population of San Francisco to be so much higher, but I was surprised to see that it’s not even a million. Still, they make the top list of cities for active bators looking for buddies and I think it’s because they’ve always had such a vibrant and sexually diverse community. With the Castro District and Folsom Street Fair it’s a renowned hub for LGBT+ citizens and I guess that means a considerable number of bator groups survive there. We knew of the San Francisco Jacks club but this closed in 2019 and so far we’re not aware of it being replaced by any other official club. There’s clearly an audience for it and I would guess there are private groups still meeting after the closure, so someone should get on that asap and start an official club at one of the many venues suited to it.

AUSTIN, TEXAS (pop. 950K)

Texas makes the list again with Austin coming in at number seven. Once more we’ve been surprised by the number of bators who live in Texas, who would have thought this state would be so busy with men wanting to get their dicks out and have a good time with their buddies!? Just as with Houston the surrounding areas of Austin are also quite busy, with bators popping up in numerous communities beyond the city limits. I assume a lot of them make regular trips into Austin for work or socializing, so they’re probably looking for other bators wearing a T-Shirt or showing off a lapel pin when they’re in town. We’re not aware of any formal jack off clubs in Austin so if someone wants to get on that they could. There seems to be a corridor of bators running from San Antonio, up through Austin and on to Dallas, with guys all along the way in numerous towns. I lovingly refer to it is as “Texas Bator Alley”.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (pop. 1.4 million)

We’re back into the larger populations and it’s interesting to see that Austin beats San Diego despite the difference in size. We’re not aware of any official bator clubs or groups existing in San Diego, but we’re absolutely certain there must be at least a few we don’t know about.

BERLIN, GERMANY (pop. 3.6 million)

The first city in mainland Europe to make the list, Berlin is one of the most liberal of them all. With an extremely active and diverse range of adult venues and sex clubs it’s perhaps not a surprise that it beats all of its European neighbors when it comes to the bator lifestyle. We know of several sex clubs which hold events in Berlin but trying to find information about them, or establishing whether any are exclusively masturbation clubs, has proven to be almost impossible. It’s clear there are private groups, but no formal masturbation clubs that we’re aware of.

DENVER, COLORADO (pop. 705K)

Another surprise! Denver, Colorado, seems to have a very active and eager male bator community. There’s been a bator club running there for several years. When one closed another opened, with an average attendance of 50 members gathering for each event. We’ve sent quite a few Buttons, Stickers and Lapel Pins to bators in Denver and the community there only seems to be growing year on year. Check out Denver Jacks if you’re local or visiting.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON (pop. 725K)

We knew Seattle would be a popular place for bators, and it seems they were quick to jump in and start making use of the BuddyBate button project the day it started. It’s a very active city, thanks mostly to the Rain City Jacks masturbation club, which is now in its 12th year of operation. Outside of that there are plenty of local guys seeking buddies to share their bate with, so even if you’re not into joining a big crowd of other stroking men you have the chance to meet up with guys showing off their buttons and t-shirts in bars and clubs around the city.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (pop. 5.3 million)

We need to make clear here that the costs of shipping to Australia are higher than a lot of places, so it’s probably expected that a lot of men who might want to participate in the BuddyBate button project might be put off by that fact. Still, there are a lot of men in Sydney who are sporting their buttons, stickers and lapel pins looking for other wankers to have a good rub with. Perhaps not surprisingly, the bator community in Sydney seems to be lower in age than a lot of other places. Anecdotally at least, the “surfer” stereotype of young men in their 20s and 30s seems predominantly into the bator lifestyle there. Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any formal wank clubs in Sydney even though it seems there’s a great audience waiting for one.

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To all those who’ve participated so far, thank you! Not only are you helping to build your own bator communities in your own towns and cities, and finding new guys to socialize with in the process, you’re helping to fund the BuddyBate site. Every time you invest a little in a Lapel Pin, a T-Shirt, Stickers or Buttons, you’re encouraging more guys who see the map to get involved, and you’re helping us to pay for our hosting.

We’re looking forward to seeing how many new guys join the community in 2022!

If you want to join in and help to get your city further up the list, click here to check out the BuddyBate map!

Are you surprised your city didn’t make the list? Shocked that Chicago gets second place and Texas is so full of bators? Leave a comment below.