Pick-A-Day

March 2008
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  

Archives

Public Sex

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I am oblivious to men cruising for sex unless it’s painfully blatant (see Guadalajara) or it’s pointed out on a map (see Vancouver).

Maybe it’s because the idea of hooking up in the woods doesn’t really appeal to me. I’m more into the fresh out of the shower, bedroom, and warm blankets scene than the sand stuck in unpleasant places scene.

However, if we look at history as any kind of guide, I think it’s pretty clear that enough people like having sex in public places—like parks, clubs, and confessionals—that it is pointless to ban it. Past attempts to ban this behavior have proven futile: discouraging sex in the bushes only results in hanky-panky in the shrubs.

If it cannot be stopped, then it ought to be channeled.

Snooker just forwarded me the happy news that Dutch Police are going to allow sex in public parks—they are no longer going to stop men from doing what comes naturally, even Senator Craig will be welcome to drop to his knees and give the blowjob of his life.

However, there are still reasonable rules that the police will enforce: condoms must be cleaned up, children’s playgrounds are not adult playgrounds, and high noon is not the time to be shooting.

Reading this happy news reminded me of a sex-positive poster I found whilst in Rotterdam a couple years back: Gebruik Condoom, or “use condoms.” As an acknowledgement and acceptance of what is going to happen, it’s pretty cool, and it promotes safe sex, something that should happen whether hiding in the bushes or under the blankets.

4 comments to Public Sex

  • Not even with these lax rules would I engage in sex in a public park, at least an urban one. I have participated in “public” sexual displays, but it was always confined to a private club setting where it was in front of other gay men and not the general (read non-gay) public. Or put another way, it was done in a place where it was expected you would see such things, and others wouldn’t happen upon the activity innocently.

    I don’t think I’d engage in such activities in parks in The Netherlands, even within these rules. I don’t want to see straight people screwing in the park, why should I expect they want to see gay men doing the same?

  • How very, very far away from America’s Puritan mind-set the Netherlands is!

    I still wouldn’t have sex in public places if it were legal here, though. At least, not these days! 😉

  • I think I should clarify my response above. The events I had described above were done with my boyfriend (at the time), not strangers.

  • @cq: I think that straight people are not, in general, interested in anonymous sex in parks–at least the women. There aren’t that many cases of str8 sex in park, but there are lots of cases of gay sex in parks. It happens–as long as the kids aren’t there, i don’t really see it as a big deal. If kids are in the parks at 9pm, there’s a problem with the parents, especially if the kids are in the bushes.

    @cameron: awe….

    @cq: it doesn’t matter to me if it was with a boyfriend or a random stranger… 🙂