Glossary
JO / Jack-Off
JO stands for jack-off, meaning masturbation, and by extension the jack-off clubs and JO parties where men gather to masturbate together.
JO is shorthand for "jack-off," a common term for masturbation. In gay male culture it also refers to JO clubs and jack-off parties, organized social gatherings where men masturbate together, often with rules against other sexual contact. These clubs became more visible in the 1980s, partly as a form of lower-risk sexual community during the AIDS crisis, and groups such as Seattle's Rain City Jacks continue the tradition today. Some men who especially value solo and mutual masturbation identify as "bators." While rooted in gay spaces, JO clubs now draw a wider mix of participants, including straight and bisexual men.