Gay cruising in England and Wales

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Gay cruising describes the act of searching about a public place in pursuit of a partner for sex. The activity has existed since at least the 17th century and has a colourful legal history. It differs from prostitution in that the parties involved do not seek money for sex, and from gay nightclubs or bathhouses in that they are not on private premises, although they may take place on private land to which the public have been granted access.

History and origins

The history of gay cruising is sparsely documented, as the illegality of gay sex meant that those who used such cruising grounds were likely to be discreet about them. Rictor Norton, author of Mother Clap's Molly House (a reference to Margaret Clap), is one of the few historians to address the topic. He believes that the first gay cruising grounds and gay brothels in London may have sprung up in the early 17th century. Theatres were sometimes denounced as such by moralists of the time.

So-called "cruising grounds" or "cruising sites", where gay and bisexual men meet at a public place to cruise for sex, originated in the late 1600s (from the earliest known records, although it most likely originated much earlier) and has continued to the present day. Cruising came about owing to the illegality of homosexual acts for many hundreds of years. Homosexuality was scarcely understood at all by religious heterosexual society. It was considered an illness or disease and being homosexual was considered a "sin". Therefore, homosexual men rarely "came out" before the Sexual Offences Act 1967. Gay men needed places where they could meet other men, to fulfill their same-sex attractions with a lower risk of being caught by the Police. The only way men could meet others was by visiting known "cruising" grounds. The activity still continued after the 1967 Act because it remained difficult for gay men to live together, as society is to a certain degree still homophobic and still therefore many gays live in the closet and resort to cruising. Homosexual activity which could not be considered private, or had more than two participants, remained illegal.

Some men do not come out or live as openly gay or bisexual. This is often because they come from families with strict religious views or, even if they come from non-religious, secular families, because they feel that their families and much of society in general, might be homophobic. It is incorrect to assume that every gay and bisexual man has it "easy" in post-1967 Britain; there are still many social reasons as to why gays live "double lives," feel the need to be discreet, and have to resort to cruising for sex. However, not all gays who use cruising sites are closetted. Some live openly gay or bisexual and partake in cruising as an easy way to find a sexual encounter. When cruising first arose it usually took place in public fields, parks, toilets (or "cottages" as they would become known as in the 20th century) and in more recent times, public laybys located either on or off main roads or rural roads.

Legal history

Before the 20th century, anal sex, whether conducted in public or private, was illegal under sodomy laws, including the Buggery Act set down by Henry VIII in 1533. The penalty for anal intercourse during most of this period was death, however, specific proof of successful anal penetration was required for this verdict to be brought; the lesser crime of "gross indecency" carried penalties including the pillory (as in the case of the Vere Street Coterie, who were arrested in a raid of a gay club in 1811), transportation, imprisonment, etc.

The death penalty for anal sex was lifted in 1861,[1] however, gay men have continued to be at risk of prosecution for public sex. An 1885 law prohibited "gross indecency", which included all erotic conduct between men.[2] Eventually, in 1967, some of the Wolfenden Report's recommendations of a decade earlier, led to the decriminalisation of homosexual sex in private; no such legal privilege pertains to sex in public places either for homosexual or heterosexual sex.[3][4]

A number of well known people have been arrested for sex in public places in England and Wales, including:

Areas with a history of gay cruising

Norton (2007) lists a number of cruising grounds during the Georgian era. These included St. James's Park, Moorfields, the public privies at Lincoln's Inn, and Smithfield prior to the Gordon Riots.

Hampstead Heath has a long history of gay cruising with a long history of police arrests, homophobic attacks and, from the late 1990s, minimal active policing and support by gay sexual health organisations.[18][19] During an interview on BBC News24, George Michael, who was allegedly caught cruising on Hampstead Heath by News of the World photographers, claimed that his cruising was de facto private because it occurred at 2am[20] In 1992, MP Alan Amos resigned his seat after he was found by the police "engaging in a homosexual act" on Hampstead Heath.[21]

Clapham Common is nationally known for gay cruising. The Labour Party MP Ron Davies resigned after national newspapers reported that he was attacked and robbed by a man whom he met on the Common. A number of homophobic attacks have occurred around the common, including the murder of Jody Dobrowski.[22] The gay themed film Clapham Junction was set around the lives of gay men in the area and included scenes of cruising and cottaging.[23]

Current situation

The Sexual Offences Act 2003, which prohibits "sexual activity in a public lavatory", has nothing to say about sex in other public places. However anyone who engages in homosexual or heterosexual intercourse in public can find themselves charged with offences under the Public Order Act, if the police have sufficient evidence to convince a court of law that the activity was witnessed by a third party, or there was a high likelihood of the activity being witnessed by a third party.[citation needed]

Presently, there is an active population of men who visit cruising grounds, which include parks, picnic areas and lay-bys where sex takes place in the bushes or other sheltered areas. These areas exist in all parts of Britain, including isolated rural areas. The attitude of the police to cruising at any given location varies, according to the time of the day or night, and the level of public concern measured by the number of complaints from local residents and councillors. Occasionally, CSO's will visit a cruising area during the early hours of the morning with the intention of advising cruisers of the risk of homophobic attacks, and any persons seen to be involved in sexual behavior will be asked to move on rather than being arrested. A number of police forces actively participate in on-line discussions with cruisers in order to gather information on hate crimes and to discourage cruisers from using locations about which complaints have been received.[24]

Many cruisers[who?] complain about the practice of leaving evidence of sexual encounters, such as discarded lubricant and condom packets, soiled toilet tissue and used condoms, because it draws the attention of other people to the fact that the area is a public sex environment, even if no sexual activity has been seen by others. The presence of such debris leads to complaints to the police and local council on moral or environmental grounds, and an increased police presence.[citation needed]

The current trend for gay cruising has been a continued use of online media. Applications and website like Grindr, Cruizerz.com and Squirt.org make pre-booked cruising possible. Although this has been a source of lack of safety, with Russian gangs being found to be using such media to lure gay men to dangerous situations.

See also

Footnotes

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  24. http://boards.gaybod.com/discus/messages/48464/48464.html

References

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