In the 1980s, it was assumed that unprotected fisting-which often produces small injuries to the anus, permitting microorganisms access to the blood-was an easy route for transmission of HIV. Crisco was commonly used as a lubricant, before more specialized personal lubricants became available. The Handball Express was another such club. The most famous fisting club in the world was the Catacombs, located in San Francisco, which operated during the 1970s and 1980s. Robert Morgan Lawrence, a sex educator, however, believes the practice dates back thousands of years. Fisting's emergence as a popular sexual practice is commonly attributed to gay male culture and it may not have existed until the twentieth century.
