Batemates Behind the Screen: A Safe Space for Queer Gooning

A WIRED profile of Batemates, a $17.99/month, ad-free app where men connect to masturbate together online, pitched as a safe, community-driven alternative after Zoom and Skype crackdowns. Users join rooms, turn on cameras (with some face-mandatory options), and are moderated; sign-up includes ID checks and a focus on privacy, ethnicity filters, and kink-based rooms. The platform frames gooning as a communal, non-performative form of pleasure and aims to expand with a web/mobile version as it grows beyond niche gooning culture.