Exclusive: the secret lives of self-loving gooners

Meet Chad, a 36-year-old virgin from Hawaii who has found a fulfilling sexual life in the world of pornography and solo masturbation.

A man of his own desires

Chad's introduction to porn began in his teenage years, a time of sexual repression in his devoutly religious household. He discovered magazines, then pictures and videos, and quickly fell in love with the rapidly evolving medium. Despite feeling isolated in his desires, he continued to indulge, often sharing clips with friends but never discussing their shared habit of masturbating to porn.

It wasn't until 2020, during the Covid pandemic, that Chad stumbled upon the term 'gooner' - a self-identified label for individuals who regularly engage in lengthy, solo sessions of porn-watching and masturbation. Joining the gooner community on Reddit, Chad found a sense of belonging and acceptance. He realized that his penchant for porn could be a fun, social, and even healthy aspect of his life.

Today, Chad spends around three hours a day on weekdays indulging in his favorite pastime, and can easily while away entire days on weekends. He has a dedicated group of 'goonbuds' with whom he watches and chats about porn, often interacting with real porn stars on the platform X, which also hosts exclusive content from these adult celebrities.

Chad's setup is straightforward, with a laptop plugged into a large monitor and an additional tablet for easy access. He's amassed quite the collection of Fleshlights, with a dozen tubelike masturbation sleeves at his disposal, courtesy of a now-ended subscription service.

Despite the increasing normalization of solo sex lives, Chad still feels the need to keep his gooning habits private, especially when hosting guests. He's planning to dedicate a room in his upcoming apartment to his goon cave, complete with a big screen for his projector, a bed, and a display of his signed porn star photos and Fleshlights.

Chad hopes that his story can help dispel the stigma around gooning and solo sexual exploration. He believes that people should have the freedom to pursue their desires, whether that means traditional relationships or alternative forms of intimacy. As AI and OnlyFans continue to shape the adult industry, Chad encourages others to embrace their own unique sexual journeys, just as he has.