Frot is a slang term (ult. from the French verb frotter, "to rub") describing a form of male/male non-penetrative sex, where two men engage in the rubbing of erect penis on erect penis — typically while fully nude and in a frontal embrace that allows simultaneous kissing, and often with a shared understanding that the frot is not merely foreplay to some other type of sex, but will instead continue until both men reach orgasm and ejaculation.
Owing to its non-penetrative character, frot has the safe sex advantage of drastically minimizing transmission of HIV and other infections without the inconvenience and expense of condoms and special lubricants.
Coined sometime in the late 1990s, the word frot (rhyming with "dot") was shortened from the term "frottage" (rhyming with "massage"), a more generic and unisex term for various types of non-penetrative genital rubbing.
An artificial "lube" may be applied before or during frot, and the use of such lubricant may be particularly advisable if one or both of the men is circumcised. Although it's essential to avoid oil-based lubes with latex condoms during any form of penetrative sex, virtually any non-allergenic lubricant is suitable for frot.
Subjectively, fans of frot report that the high degree of "erotic symmetry" inherent to frot can help induce a feeling of "deep sexual connection" without the need for physical penetration, and also bring about a greater sense of emotional intimacy than is suggested by terms such as "mutual masturbation" or "heavy petting."
And many frot advocates assert that this symmetry will also tend to generate a strong sense of shared masculinity and reinforce a feeling of "equal partnership" for a male/male couple.
(More controversially, some "frot radicals" have made the tendentious claim that anal sex between men must necessarily leave the receptive man feeling both emasculated and degraded in comparison to the penetrating man.)
Since frot is a non-penetrative sex act, the risk of passing a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that requires direct contact between the mucous membranes and pre-ejaculate or semen is greatly reduced.
Notably, HIV is among the diseases that require such direct contact, and is therefore very unlikely to be transmitted via frot. On the other hand, frot can potentially provide an "invasion" opportunity for a few pathogenic organisms that need only skin-to-skin contact.
In this category are the viruses causing genital herpes and genital warts, either of which can, in some cases, lead to serious health problems. At the same time, it should be understood that all of these "casually transmissible" diseases are just as likely, if not more so, to be transmitted during male/male anal intercourse as during frot.
