Inside the App Where Queer Gooners Run Free

In light of Zoom crackdowns and Skype shutting down, Batemates has emerged as an alternative for "bators" who like masturbating together online. One night not long ago, Jaxon Roman sat naked in front of his laptop wearing only a pup hood as he masturbated with single-minded zeal to the attention of eight other men watching onscreen. It was a typical weekday for the 33-year-old Arlington, Virginia, program analyst. "When bros praise me and say they're enjoying [me], I get to that edge point so fast," Roman says. His favorite instances are "when they all come to what I'm doing." Sometimes, when he's feeling especially kinky, Roman, who is bisexual, likes to ask for permission before climaxing.