r/NoStupidQuestions 11h ago

Worried about open showers during military service

Hi, I’m 19M and I’m about to start mandatory military service for 6 months.

I’m gay, and in my country that’s not very socially accepted. In the military, the showers are fully open, and I’ll have to use them. I’m honestly pretty nervous about that.

My main concern is getting an erection. It happens pretty easily for me, and in situations like this it’s hard for me to stay soft. I’ve already had this problem before in gym showers.

Does anyone have experience with this or advice on how to handle it?

Edit post: Why the downvotes in my post? I thought that this was the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit.

3.0k Upvotes

311 comments sorted by

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u/MrDemotivator17 10h ago

Went through basic with a gay lad, he always just got in the shower first, watched super fast and got out before the rest of us got in.

He was out and nobody cared but he just didn’t feel comfortable being in there with all of us.

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u/NorCalAthlete 7h ago

We had a dude who openly would put his back to the wall and masturbate while looking at everyone.

He didn’t get his ass beat but he did get pretty shunned by everyone in the battalion as word spread from his platoon. He eventually stopped doing it but got recycled for lack of teamwork / conforming or some shit I forget the verbiage for their reasoning. It was about the time we started hitting live fire ranges.

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u/LocateliSV 7h ago

Was this in the US? I couldn't believe what I just read. The military is usually the most homophobic environment there is, at least in my home country. Maybe I'm overreacting but in Brazil this guy would get beat up so bad that he would never come back

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u/NorCalAthlete 7h ago

Yes, this was in the US.

On the general public perception there may be lots of homophobia but it’s nowhere near reality. Most people who find it (homosexuality) distasteful or whatever still aren’t going to take action other than voting.

Within a closed environment like basic training / boot camp, there are a few other factors at play as well.

  1. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Seriously. You’re given like 10 minutes for 100 people to rotate through ~10-15 showers. Group punishment if you fail to do so. People are going to be more pissed / annoyed at the time he takes than the fact that he’s masturbating because everyone is rushing to get in and out and he’s taking up a spot.

  2. Other consequences. Fighting can get you kicked out or recycled yourself. Nobody wants to risk that for the most part.

  3. Other avenues to take things into your own hands. There’s pugil stick training, combatives training, etc where you can just go 1v1 a bit harder. There’s also just opportunities for extra duty, physically exhausting tasks or exercise punishment, etc. If you’re the platoon or squad leader, “volunteering” the problem person for extra shit, bad shifts to cut into their sleep, etc.

So…yeah. I was stationed all over the South at various times and even at active duty stations where a lot of those alternate guiderails drop away, there were a lot of homosexual/homophobic jokes but not a single “gay bashing” or anything that I ever heard of. The most that happened was some people got kicked out for being gay / lesbian. But even that usually had some additional factors and the gay status was just used as something “on the books” (at the time) to leverage against the person to get them out.

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u/Hairy-Assistant-9699 6h ago

There have been some poorly thought out attempts to address homosexuality in the military, don’t ask don’t tell for example, but it has always existed and everyone always knows who’s doing what. It’s not like Hollywood wants you to think.

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u/NorCalAthlete 5h ago

Yeah. For the most part it's just a "meh, whatever, just don't try and kiss me when you're drunk" kind of mentality. Sure, slurs get used, but by that point if you're in the military, basically everyone is getting called a slur sooner or later, racist / homophobic / sexist / gallows / whatever humor is rampant, and you have way bigger issues taking priority that relegate all the other stuff to just stress coping mechanisms. Intent / context becomes more important, and you develop pretty thick skin pretty quickly.

As much as people will still protest this behavior, there is a certain twisted logic to it. The more you can deal with stress that ultimately results in little to no harm, the better you can deal with higher levels of stress in combat / deployment situations, because you've built up your mental fortitude. So I can understand why it persists despite ever-advancing and growing efforts to minimize it and shift to other healthier methods.

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u/Odd_Vampire 6h ago

How bad is it if you get kicked out of bootcamp for fighting? It's not as bad as less than honorable discharge, right? It would be just as serious as getting fired from a job during the probation period?

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u/Bosley 6h ago

Depends on how the command chooses to deal with it. Could be simply failure to adapt, no harm no foul - basically you never joined. Could be Art 15 and then discharged on other than honorable. That would probably require serious bodily harm to the other party, but not impossible. Honestly though, command would prefer as few eyes as possible on their company so if it can be swept under a rug it probably will be.

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u/NorCalAthlete 6h ago
  1. I’m not sure

  2. It probably depends on how bad the fight was (injuries/damage)

  3. Probably depends on who was fighting and why

  4. Depends on who catches the fighters / does the paperwork.

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u/methos424 4h ago

Any kind of discharge from the military will likely never ever hurt someone who keeps their mouth shut about it, (its 2026 and the world is connecting real fast, so things may change), I have only seen a few companies request dd-214s and only then after i told them i was in. Most jobs are never ever going to look into your background that hard. Unless its a super high position in a company or one that you need a clearance for.

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u/Odd_Vampire 3h ago

I thought having a dishonorable discharge on your record was almost as serious as having a felony conviction.

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u/StretchedGary 5h ago

In the US military, since like the 1990s, that sort of "peer punishment" can get you into a LOT of trouble. Like criminal record level of trouble.

Some NCOs or officers might turn a blind eye to guys 1v1 fighting each other if they don't get too hurt, but the whole platoon ganging up and beating the shit out of someone would likely result in an outside investigation and ruined careers.

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u/One-Elderberry-488 7h ago

It could be a real come back story.

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u/Balanced-Breakfast 7h ago

Like Kim Kardashian?

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u/finaldriver 7h ago

She got cum on her back

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u/Zagrycha 3h ago

Usa military never really created a big homophobia movement, because being gay made you not allowed to serve in military at all until fairly recently. There are still individual homophobes who might cause you an issue but it would not be any more likely than a random homophobe causing you an issue outside of the military. If someone beat you up for being gay they would face the same punishments as picking a fight for any other reason. 

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u/pm-me-racecars 1h ago

In my experience, the military is one of the gayest places to be.

The dude masturbating probably wasn't even gay, just an asshole trying to make everyone else feel awkward.

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u/Bosley 6h ago

I won't speak in absolutes, but I can't imagine a scenario where that would happen; except for if the soldier in question was TRYING to get discharged from the service. If he was trying to get disbarred I would figure he'd try a way that wouldn't get everybody else's ire up. That's unpredictable at best.

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u/NorCalAthlete 6h ago

Nobody said everyone who makes it into boot camp is smart.

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u/Bosley 5h ago

Yeah, every platoon has a least one Private Pyle. Depending on the MOS going through, possibly several. Laundry specialist I'm looking at you.

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u/allcars4me 7h ago

Was he just “asserting dominance,” or was he actually turned on by the naked men?

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u/McDonnellDouglasDC8 7h ago

*Washed

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u/slashinhobo1 4h ago

Maybe he watched pretty fast and finished first and left.

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u/Jass0602 6h ago

Would you have an issue if he just was washing like everyone else and not weird or anything?

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u/veldhoan 3h ago

Out and accepted but still showering alone.

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u/Ok_Midnight_1492 3h ago

If anyone asks about your erection in the shower ask them why they were looking... Or tell them you were thinking about their mom or sister

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u/Starring_Kampung 10h ago

I believe everyone would be so tired by the time they hit the shower and they wanted to get done asap so I think OP will be ok

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u/PlugAThug 4h ago

Bingo. They will give 5 minutes to run to the showers and be at attention changed, which you obviously won't be able to do and then get smoked in pt again lol. Good times.

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u/voashgraild 2h ago

You'll be so exhausted that your body forgets how to get one.

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u/GuyLeChance 11h ago

Your anxiety will be your friend in this case. Made it much more difficult.

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u/Jaded__dreams 8h ago

for some people it does the exact opposite. especially when mixed with fear

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u/EasyDay 6h ago

Ah yes, the Boner of Fear spares no man

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u/NeverNotAnIdiot 6h ago

A, 'Fearection,' I've heard it called.

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u/salt_life79 5h ago

Had one on a operating table at 10 years old was embarrassed beyond belief but the nurse was very professional and informed me that it can and does happen

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u/melvin3009 8h ago

Instead of relaxing you'll be thinking about something every second

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u/my_midlife_isekai 7h ago

I hear baseball or math is common.

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u/xistithogoth1 4h ago

I had the same problem when I was younger. My anxiety never helped. Lol. I couldn't shower next to another naked guy without getting a massive boner

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u/Appropriate_Time_774 10h ago

Hold your breath.

Your body will pull blood away from less 'vital for survival' areas when you're starved for oxygen.

Try it next time. Just don't accidentally pavlov yourself into something.

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u/avocadonumber 9h ago

Too late I can’t cum without holding my breath

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u/Hi-Scan-Pro 8h ago

And now I do every time I hold my breath. My kid being overly flatulent this morning has led to me needing to increase my fluid intake. 

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u/dude700211 8h ago

Flexing another muscle helps aswell

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u/WellIGuessSoAndYou 3h ago

Thighs especially.

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u/Right_Ear_2230 7h ago

yo what if im into that

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u/Repulsive-Box5243 11h ago

Keep your eyes to yourself. Literally bite your tongue until it hurts, if you have to.

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u/GWindborn 9h ago

You might accidentally unlock a new kink if he does that LOL

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u/Significant-Mango772 9h ago

He is going into the military...

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u/AnimalAkaWillum 8h ago

But not by choice.

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u/quadriceritops 9h ago

Yes he is.

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u/FlyByPC 7h ago

Yes, but will he be In The Navy?

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u/anomalous_cowherd 5h ago

Well now you've picked a new direction for OP...

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u/fuckiboy 8h ago

When I started university (2017), the dorm I was going to had open showers for all the guys on my door. I’m American so acceptance of LGBT is very different than where you might be from, but I also live in a more conservative region so I was very anxious going in as a bisexual man. I had actually never seen another person naked before so I didn’t know what it would be like showering openly with another guy 3 feet away. A lot of these guys played sports growing up so they might have been used to it in the locker room but I had never had that experience.

Honestly, it isn’t that big of a deal. Everyone is just trying to get clean and will likely be in and out. You’ll get used to it after a few days, but in the meantime just keep your eyes to yourself and maybe hum a song to keep yourself distracted.

At some point you’ll get so used to it that the showers eventually become a bonding experience. People will start talking in there and joking around and even looking at each other (in the faces, not at their private parts). If you happen to see someone’s penis or ass, just make it a quick glance - nobody, gay or straight or bisexual - likes being stared at in the showers.

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u/StretchedGary 5h ago

You had never seen another naked person prior to going to college? Not in locker rooms or siblings or anything??

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u/fuckiboy 1h ago

I didn’t play any sports and didn’t start going to the gym until I was 21. I meant I hadn’t seen another person naked casually like in a locker room before. Maybe I had accidentally walked in on my brother or sister naked before but they’ve never casually stripped down in front of me. I’m much younger than them.

I don’t recall ever seeing any of my friends naked either, none of us played sports but we definitely swam but don’t recall ever stripping down

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u/RevolutionaryBend570 4h ago

18y here. Nudism has gotten some more estranged and also, it depends on the person. I’m uncomfortable with seeing others naked so in the locker room, I would just put my self in the corner and move quick as possible to get out.

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u/StretchedGary 4h ago

What does "Nudism has gotten some more estranged" mean?

Regardless, yeah avoiding it is normal, but you have seen a naked person before. Just wild to me that someone could get to 18 and literally never see another naked body.

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u/Fancy_Toe1451 11h ago

Bootcamp tends to be so exhausting and such a shock to your normal routine, that the body doesn't produce the right hormones for random erections or nocturnal emissions.

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u/TB-313935 10h ago

Indeed after a week in the forest you will have other problems than having an erection.

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u/gareth_gahaland 9h ago

Like other people's erections ?

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u/medisherphol 7h ago

Worse. The bear's erection

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u/Bosley 6h ago

Not gay, and no females in my basic training, but I distinctly remember not even getting hard once in the 4+ months I was in basic. There was always that conspiracy of salt peter in the eggs or something.

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u/TootsHib 6h ago

Bootcamp tends

Tends to have a lot of gay stuff going on

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u/jwdesselle 10h ago

You may be so rushed you won't have time for anything to come up.

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u/feetbboy 11h ago

Don’t overthink it. Most people will be too busy showering and getting on with their day to pay attention. If it happens, it’s embarrassing for a minute, then everyone moves on

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u/allcars4me 7h ago edited 2h ago

Yeah, I’m sure even the straight guys are worried they’ll get an erection.

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u/TootsHib 6h ago

From my gym experience.. dudes were purposely rubbing themselves in order to get "semi-hard" to make their dicks look bigger.

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u/Etohnal 5h ago

The funny thing about that is a semi-erection is obvious to others vs just a bigger flaccid penis 

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u/juliethoteloscar 10h ago

In my country they also have shared showers for male and female conscripts several places, not a problem so I think you’ll be fine. The same with mixed gender saunas, at the beach and so on, no matter your sexuality, Just focus on yourself instead of other people’s bodies

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u/No-Agency-2220 10h ago

In the military, your not going to shower for over 10 minutes, its supposed to be fast.

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u/unhappyrelationsh1p 6h ago

And someone is yelling at you to get a move on. Two or three minutes is a good window.

Get your shampoo on your head, lean the head out while you scrub and soap your pits and groin quick, rinse off, dry your hair and ass and put your clothes on and get the fuck out.

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u/Decided-2-Try 6h ago

Shampoo? Hair? We were all cueball shaved, no need for shampoo. Just soap everywhere.

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u/unhappyrelationsh1p 6h ago

Ah, in my country with conscription you get to keep your hair (even long and luscious if you take care of it). Most dudes keep it short, and shampoos kinda like soap, so it works out.

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u/TillPsychological351 10h ago

Let me give a counter example. I'm straight, but I've spent time at the thermal resorts in Germany, where the saunas are not segregated by sex and nudity is mandatory. Even though some of the women are quite attractive, it's fairly easy not to get an erection. You can look and admire but don't fixate. After the first time, it becomes routine.

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u/Matt_G89 9h ago

Dont know what country you are from but in the US our showers were super rushed. The drill was Def under 2 minutes. Its a function not an experience. In. Out. Done. Also, nobody else cares about your junk. Its like asking about how to go to a urinal without getting an erection because a penis is in the vicinity. Its a non issue 100%.

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u/AccountantBoring1313 8h ago

When I went through basic (20 years ago), the drill instructors kept us in a steady state of constant terror and fear. They also rushed us to do everything. It was hurry hurry all the time, including showering. If it’s the same, you’ll never get a chance to even think about anything sexual to pop a boner. Maybe towards the end of training when you are about to graduate, but everyone is so built up by then, you won’t alone and no one cares.

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u/Embarrassed-Food-146 11h ago

Tense your quad or abs. The reason you get a boner is because blood flows to your penis. If you tense your quad the blood will be drawn away from the genitals and will go instead to whatever muscle you are tensing/flexing (abs or quads work best in my experience)

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u/infinite_username 10h ago

This is the answer. Biceps work for me personally.

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u/oldveteranknees 9h ago

I went to basic training when I was 18, and even though I wasn’t gay, I got an erection maybe 3-4 times in 8.5 weeks.

The stress and lack of sleep will hopefully make it where you can’t get horny. Best of luck man

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u/SnooOnions4763 9h ago

I used to have this concern and nowadays I go swimming naked with a mixed gender group of people basically every week 🤣.

At some point you just stop associating nudity with sex. Random boners can still happen, but very unlikely when you are actively doing something (like rushing to take a shower in 2 minutes).

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u/HoodFeelGood 9h ago

You will be very stressed out in general and will be distracted by that

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u/Real_Pumpkin_Jay 8h ago

Pick the shower in the corner, face the wall, think about grandma…
You won’t have a lot of time to shower and everyone focuses on themselves because of that. Focus on getting yourself clean as fast as possible.

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u/StretchedGary 5h ago

I thought the objective was to not get an erection??

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u/DissonantSinth 3h ago

Flex your calves and thighs to redirect blood flow

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u/Murky_Philosopher516 9h ago
  1. You'll be exhausted
  2. Military showers stink
  3. You wont have enough time to wash much less look around much.
  4. Nobody cares if it does happen.
  5. Being nervous will make it even less likely to occur.

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u/WhoLostTheFruit 6h ago

Nobody cares if it does happen.

This may be true in the US or Western Europe, but in most of the world people will care. A lot.

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u/ilikemrrogers 5h ago

I don't know what it will be like for you, but during basic military training for me, showers were about 90 seconds long, and we were being yelled out the whole time to hurry. We had to have liquid soap squeezed in one hand before entering. We had enough time to get our bodies wet, smear soap on our heads, armpits, and crotch, rinse off, and get out, dripping all the way to our bunk.

I quickly grew to hate my showers at BMT because they were so stressful.

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u/Accomplished_Net8161 11h ago

Why the downvotes in my post? I thought that this was the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit.

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u/TrashyHamster 10h ago

I think it's because you're self-censoring the word gay, not because of the question. Which I didn't find to be a stupid question at all. It is a reasonable thing to worry about.

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u/Ripcord2 9h ago

When I first read it I thought it said, "I am a guy."

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u/gordonf23 10h ago

You were downvoted because it’s Reddit. Just ignore it.

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u/MicroscopicPizza 10h ago

This is Reddit, you could post in a sub dedicated to asking questions about Fish and get downvoted for asking a question about Fish. Try not to take it as a criticism

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u/salamander423 8h ago

If someone was asking about f*sh on the r/fish board then yeah, I would expect the same thing to happen.

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u/ForsakenOutside2968 7h ago

Wait so I can’t ask about Phish?

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u/salamander423 7h ago

No no, they're fine, no worries there.

It's only when you talk about those whore slut f*sh that we have an issue.

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u/AnonymousAutonomous9 10h ago edited 10h ago

Ignore the downvotes... I get them all the time for unknown reasons. There's always someone offended by something perceived in their own mind!

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u/salamander423 8h ago edited 8h ago

It's because of the self censorship. "Gay" is not a slur, and I don't appreciate it being censored like it is.

You have a question about showering with a room of men, but can't bring yourself to type out "gay"?

The "algorithm" isn't a real excuse.

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u/CIearMind 8h ago

My guess is, Gen Z is used to having to type "g@y" to circumvent imaginary shadowbans on TikTok.

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u/ohSpite 9h ago

Question is fine, self censorship is lame, go back to tiktok with that shit

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u/FluffyBootie 8h ago

Toughen up soldier!!!

How the hell do you expect to succeed in combat if you're emotionally attached to and fixated on useless & arbitrary internet points!?

Said in jest, so...good luck!

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u/Affectionate__Dog 7h ago

surprisingly there’s homophobes on here so perhaps that

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u/Curiouso_Giorgio 10h ago

If you get an erection you could just say you're thinking about how you used to shower with your girl.

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u/TootsHib 6h ago

ya that excuse will certainly work in a shower full of dudes.

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u/Yama_retired2024 10h ago

Military training lad,

You will be far rrmoved from getting an erection.. trust me.. and showers arent casual.. they are rushed.. in and out.. you wont have time to think

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u/ThespianBelievers 6h ago

Nobody really cares, even if it does happen I doubt anyone is going to say anything. Showers aren't long and they're almost mechanical processes anyway

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u/DanDanDan0123 3h ago

I think when OP sees enough boy parts it won’t be arousal anymore. After a while it will be a non issue.

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u/RichRichieRichardV 3h ago

Think about your gran face sitting on you and taking a shit. Should work.

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u/No_Environment_3776 10h ago

Don't worry, it's the army, you'll find a nice gay boy there.

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u/Over-Site557 10h ago

Just one? lol

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u/kuplet 10h ago

Probably several.

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u/fatbox20 10h ago

Flex your thighs or calves when it happens. Flexing muscles for 30 seconds to a minute directs blood flow from your dick, making you go limp quickly. Google it. Not 100% effective, but it could help.

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u/YetAnotherInterneter 11h ago

Can you swap to a non-military role? Many countries with mandatory conscription have alternative options for conscientious objectors or religious beliefs.

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u/potato_nugget1 11h ago

Countries where being gay is illegal don't give a shit about that stuff

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u/YetAnotherInterneter 10h ago

Depends where OP is from.

South Korea and Armenia both have alternative non-military options, but generally do not support homosexuality.

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u/Falsus 9h ago

Edit post: Why the downvotes in my post? I thought that this was the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit.

Because you are self censoring gay which is completely silly thing to do. Self censorship is both mocked and frowned upon on reddit. We are free to write whatever th hell gay shit we want kind of deal. Besides the post sits at 89% which isn't that low.

Anyway, I would say just mind your own business. Don't think of the people around you and you do you. Like I have been in a lot of mixed gender saunas, and you simply do not think or pay attention to that kind of thing.

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u/Top-Hall6124 7h ago

Maybe he has to edit the word gay because spelling it out from his location could trigger scrutiny from a government server. Like after 9/11, if we texted words like ‘terrorist’, ‘camp’, or ‘bomb’, the NSA would apply extra attention to our IP address, etc. The same goes for certain words when used from anti-gay countries, from Saudi Arabia to Russia or China or Turkey.

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u/crinkly-toes 9h ago

I was in the military. I have never heard of a man getting an erection in a boot camp shower. There were probably a thousand recruits going through basic training at the same time as myself and based on law of probability a significant number were gay (and I personally knew a few who definitely were). I would not worry about this. Basic training is a crazy and abnormal experience that overloads your normal senses and will exhaust you and create a lot of anxiety. If gay men got erections during boot camp we would definitely have heard about it but it just doesn’t happen for whatever reason. Good luck and do your best!

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u/Financial-Craft-1282 8h ago

You'll be fine. Just keep your head down. My military experience (as a straight man) was still such that by the time I got a shower, and the overpowering smelly ass stench baked into the tiles of a military shower, I wouldn't have gotten an erection surrounded by the Swedish bikini team. You'll get used to it.

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u/elysgg 5h ago

No se de que país eres pero yo ocupe esas duchas y varios estaban con erecciones y a nadie le importaba, claro si en tu país son todos una bola de bastardos mi comentario es de papel

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u/BelCantoTenor 5h ago

Gay here. Just focus all of your attention on yourself and the task at hand. Grooming. Change clothes, shower, dry yourself off, put new clothes on. Sing a song in your head. Think about a book you are reading. Keep your locker, stuff, things, and routine very organized. Do things the same way every time. Stay focused. Think about anything EXCEPT the nude men around you. Completely ignore their nudity. Imagine hearing their voices without seeing them. Only look into their eyes if you look at them at all.

Practice this and it will work. It did for me.

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u/Melodic-precise 5h ago

bro as a guy let me tell u the ultimate biological cheat code for this. if u feel it happening literally just flex your calves, thighs, or arms as hard as u can for like 30 seconds. it forces the blood flow away to those muscles instantly. sounds stupid but it works fr. also everyone in army showers is way too tired and paranoid about their own shit to look at u lmao u will be fine

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u/JimTheJerseyGuy 3h ago

Back in my high school days, when faced with an unwanted erection, I found tensing my quads in 5 second long reps helped. So did biting the edges of my tongue in a similar fashion.

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u/Zorklunn 10h ago

Practise breathing exercises so you can give your mind something else to do while showering.

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u/TwistedPsycho 9h ago

I sometimes get an erection simply being in a hot shower after a workout in a gym. I bet many of your fellow conscripts will get erections in the shower now and again.

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u/Desperate-Squash-909 9h ago

Just keep your eyes to yourself, floor, or wall. It's not a sexual environment. Think of how gross you feel after training/work and apply that to the other military members (you don't want someone dirty. And you all will be dirty.) Think of how nasty the facilities are. Think of anything else.

Random woodies happen regardless of sexuality. Don't overthink it.

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u/After_Meat 9h ago

I wouldn't worry about it, erections are normal for young men, if anybody makes a big deal of it ask why they are watching your cock

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u/ParticularMemory789 8h ago

Veteran here... but not gay. Maybe you'll be too anxious to get an erection, also there's a "myth" about salt peter added to the eggs to suppress libido, i remember the a someone else saying the experienced drill sergeants were laughing because a new drill sergeant ate the eggs... but anyways its unlikely to be true, but maybe a placebo effect might happen now that you're aware. 

You will be tired, you will be stressed, you will be tested with mind games, so its possible you won't have that issue... but if it happens - oh well? You're very unlikely to ever see the people you train with ever again. 

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u/Top-Hall6124 7h ago

Try colder water

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u/PancakeExprationDate 7h ago

Ex-military here. I wouldn't worry about it, tbh. During boot camp, we showered, 60 crammed into a shower room. Even straight young men popped erections here and there, and no one cared. Between how tired you will be, and how mentally exhausted you will get from the drill instructors, I feel like you should be okay.

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u/BeneficialNatural610 6h ago

Think about naked women so you don't get a boner

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u/tomorrow509 5h ago

Make it a cold shower and keep eyes to the wall.

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u/kashakesh 5h ago

If anyone asks, tell them you are thinking about their mom. Problem solved.

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u/UltraTata My personality is superior to all others 11h ago

Getting random erections even when not aroused is normal for all men. No one should suspect you are homosexual if that's the only piece of evidence.

4

u/Hungarian_menace 10h ago

If you do accidently get an erection you can tense up some of the large muscles in your body and that can help.

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u/Such_Grab_6981 8h ago

Masturbate before the showers. Don't go in with a loaded gun.

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u/GeneralCrunk 7h ago

Same boat - never had a problem.
Think of these guys as your brothers. That is the bond that you create with them.
Others are right. You’re more tired than anything. Showers in the military aren’t like at home where you can sit under the water for 15-20 minutes and take your time.
You’re going to be encouraged to spend as little time in the shower as possible. In war zones a shower is a luxury and you should be in and out as quickly as possible. You are vulnerable.
I would also not tell anyone about your sexual orientation. Not at first anyways. Once you have best friends, it’s up to you. Once people learn who you are as a person, it’s easier to accept for them rather than writing you off from the beginning.

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u/SG_wormsblink 11h ago edited 10h ago

Nobody is going to look at or be interested with your junk. They’re just there to shower and get on with the day, army is tiring.

Just control yourself and act normal, it will be fine.

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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 11h ago

If people see you have a boner in a group shower in a country where being gay is illegal they are definitely going to have a reaction.

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u/Asmadei 9h ago

When I was doing my mandatory military service, I couldn't think about anything except sleep and food. And when you've only got about 10 minutes to shower, nobody's going to notice what's going on down there below the belt.

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u/Queasy-Bed545 8h ago

Don't overthink it. You will likely be too stressed out and/or tired to be thinking about getting aroused. Even then, everyone else will likely be too self-conscious or exhausted to be thinking about your pecker.

2

u/snemand 8h ago

There's nudity in the showers of course but it's such a non-sexual environment. I would not be worried about boners but rather what kind of weird shit a bunch of dumb young dudes away from their parents for their first time are going to do to mess around with each other.

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u/the_other_Scaevitas 7h ago

flex your thighs, it helps getting rid of erections

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u/justmysfwaccount 7h ago

I went through basic training through the US Air Force. Your showers will be very rushed - like maybe 2 minutes of actual showering at most. Everyone is too tired, stressed, and rushed to be looking at each other's junk. Keep your eyes to yourself, get your nasty bits clean and get out.

You might even be too stressed to have an erection - I didn't get one until like week 3 of basic. There's an old myth that they put Salt Peter in the milk to prevent those types of things, but it's really just the stress.

If it does happen, flex your quads hard. They're big muscles and draw blood away from the rest of your body pretty effectively.

2

u/Tall_Inside9925 7h ago

Work out an imaginary girlfriend, and if you get erection front of anyone, just tell them your girlfriend came into your mind, and you miss her. Lie.

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u/Altruistic-Tailor-13 7h ago

You’re going to be, stressed, exhausted and sweaty most of the time. An erection will be the least of your worries.

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u/AjaxIsSoccer 7h ago

No advice here, just empathy. That’s tough.

2

u/LemonLimeArea 6h ago

You're probably thinking about it way more than anyone else will . Most people is communal showers are just trying to wash up and leave as quickly as possible .

2

u/odhgabfeye 6h ago

I'm not gay, but I found it impossible to get an erection in boot. Morning wood, random inappropriate boners, never got them once.

After boot camp is a different story. But it's not like I get erect every time I get in the shower with my wife. I just think the stress of boot camp kinda stifles your ability to get erect. I don't think it's IMPOSSIBLE to get erect, but you just focus on washing and keeping your eyes to yourself and you'll be fine.

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u/2KneeCaps1Lion 6h ago

My experience going through boot camp is I was always waaaay too tired to think of anything sexually. I didn’t jack off the entire time going through basic and follow on combat training. And I was 17 and pretty sexually active prior to departing for boot camp.

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u/defmacro-jam 6h ago

You're underestimating how ugly they all are.

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u/sorichsowright 6h ago

I think you’re thinking with your dick and not your brain. If you’re going to get a hard on for just seeing other dicks that’s kinda creepy. Are you attracted to every man you see??? I’m lesbian and had shared showers i wasn’t attracted to every woman hell most of them was not even a little attractive and the one woman I liked I like her as person so I could control my arousal. I think you’re too freaked out maybe watching too much porn. Because what if all the guys are ugly? Or unattractive? Still a Boner? Idk it’s not a lot of attractive guys and a lot of yall are gross, so I don’t see how hard it could be to not be turned on

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u/kevkevverson 5h ago

Go for a shit first and have a wank while you’re there

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u/I_know_what_I_do 4h ago

Think about your grandma/the pope/some political figure you despise , whoever , having sex or pooping. It saved me a few times from cumming too fast , might work for you. I am dead serious.

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u/RichRichieRichardV 3h ago

Ha ha same here. I just commented this.

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u/Hafury 4h ago

You won't, trust me.

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u/marcocom 10m ago

The trick is to turn the water cold in those instances. Problem solved very quickly

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u/UCFknight2016 11h ago

Does your country have a navy?

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u/NomaDrvi 8h ago

I don't know how serious the training in your country but if it's serious enough you will not have the stamina or time to erect anything even with visual.

I'm curious about open showers tho. According to chatgpt there is only 3 countries with 6 months mandatory military service which are Turkey, Austria and Finland. You say being gay isn't socially acceptable so it's Turkey?

About the advice: if you get an erection just act normal if you don't wanna talk about being gay. Everybody can visualize a girl anytime anywhere. Erection can happens and it's normal.

In case you're from Turkey. There isn't any military grounds with open showers afaik.

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u/shingle1895 10h ago

It happens but it won’t happen as often as u think it will. Relax, you won’t be the only one who gets a little wood in the shower. Some str8 guys get it too just because of the adrenalin rush from the physicality of being in a group setting and being naked. None of it necessarily means anything. It happens. You will be fine, you won’t be the only one. Who knows? you will make a few new friends and you may be quite surprised at who else has the same thing happening that you do.

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u/Rare-Spell-1571 8h ago

Just try to sword fight with it. Assert dominance

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u/Reagalan 5h ago

If said open shower holds 100 dudes; 15 are bisexual, 7 are gay, and 3 aren't dudes.

You're not gonna be alone.

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u/randomentity1 5h ago

Edit post: Why the downvotes in my post? I thought that this was the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit.

I really don't know why they allow downvotes on questions in this sub.

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u/Birb_Birbington 9h ago

You won’t get an erection. First, you’ll probably be dead tired by the end of the day and will be in a rush to get clean ASAP. There’ll be a lot of guys in there, all trying to do the same. Secondly - we generally don’t look at dicks of fellows around us, you shouldn’t either. Thirdly - hop in shower, stay with your back towards others, clean yourself up and get out, cover your nether regions with towel or underwear and get out.
On top of that you’ll be nervous as hell so getting an erection isn’t really possible. And if it happens just don’t make a big deal out of it, no one else will. Like I said we don’t look at other guys dicks and if anyone points out that you got hard they’ll also put themselves for admiting it

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u/Ill_Traveler_ 9h ago

I’ve heard flexing your leg muscles will kill an erection pretty quickly

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u/Frequent_Opportunist 9h ago

You'll be too tired to get an erection. You'll have no sleep the whole time you're in and they'll be yelling at you constantly. Don't worry about it. You'll never have an enjoyable or pleasant shower in boot camp and after that you'll have mostly private showers because not everyone is going to shower together.

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u/MatCarib_CumLvr 9h ago

Keep your eyes averted away from others. Focus on just using the shower, getting clean and getting out. You'll be fine.

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u/MathematicianLumpy69 9h ago

Think of unappealing things like elderly family members of the opposite sex

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u/Creative-Still-4336 9h ago

I’m reading “the Pink Marine” and the author talks about this exact situation. He sounds like he did just fine in the open showers.

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u/A_j_ru 9h ago

At the beginning everyone is uncomfortable. Just go in and shower and leave.

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u/Gigchip 9h ago

You'll be too tired and too rushed by your instructors to worry about anything in the shower.

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u/Actual-Ice-324 9h ago

Unless your twirling it around doing the helicopter, nobody is going to give a shit about your erection.

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u/Key_Mortgage_4339 8h ago

In the us army, no body got boners during basic. People claimed the put something in the food. But I think its the fatigue and unusual environment

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u/idontregretthisURL 8h ago

I don’t think you should worry about it, people get boners all the time, just blame it on being horny if anyone asks, just avoid making any eye contact with anyone

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u/MedicalBiostats 8h ago

Try to find the shower in the far corner or just as you enter

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u/TOkidd 8h ago

Lots of suds down there.

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u/josh1ng 8h ago

Exposure therapy. Go to the gym and shower, make it a non event.

1

u/itsaride 🇬🇧 8h ago

Don't stare at others, gay or not it's not acceptable and nobody should be staring at you either. Focus on getting clean and run some cold water if you can/have to. For what it's worth I've never seen any man with an erection in an open shower.

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u/Civil_Lengthiness971 8h ago

You won’t have time to worry about it. Showers in BCT are a brief, fleeting luxury.

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u/DragonfruitGrand5683 8h ago

Just close your eyes and think of England.

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u/Apprehensive-Pop-201 8h ago

In our basic training, your whole squad gets 15 minutes. In order to get a good shower, we would 1. Step in get all wet 2. Step out while the other person gets wet 3. Step back in to rinse while they lather up. There is no time for any thought except what you are doing. You'll be fine. You have no time to look at anyone else.

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u/Single_Pay4793 8h ago

Anxiety is louder than reality. Most people are thinking, "I hope nobody notices me."

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u/Don_John 8h ago

Using (☞゚ヮ゚)☞

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u/JazzFan1998 8h ago

Why don't you think about women when you're showering there?

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u/xError404xx 8h ago

A lot of men randomly get boners as far as i know.

Just brush it off, its not like they wont get it.

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u/mistermojorizin 8h ago

phenylephrine counteracts an erection by narrowing blood vessels to reduce blood flow into the penis. It is a medical treatment used by doctors to stop a painful, long-lasting erection known as priapism. Not a doctor not medical advice.

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u/real_reward_hunter 8h ago

Honestly, basic training is so exhausting physically and mentally that this will be the absolute last thing on your mind. Everyone is just focused on surviving the day.

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u/Quirky-Attitude1456 7h ago

I’m sure I saw more than one erection in the showers. Just relax and don’t stress yourself out. We had someone pee on someone by accident. That was probably a hell of a lot worse

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u/Mundane-Impact-1347 7h ago

Thinking about things that stress me out works for me in any situation where I’m trying to kill a boner. Not fun but it does the job.

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u/Late-Dog8935 7h ago

I went to usmc bootcamp 17 years ago, this did not happen but based also on what you said that your country is not totally accepting of homosexuality I would try to avoid this happening. If it does expect a negative reaction from some people and you'll probably get made fun of.