Toe Tapping Menace? Where's McCarthy when you need him?

[lsanderson]

America’s Toe-Tapping Menace
By LAURA M. Mac DONALD

WHAT is shocking about Senator Larry Craig’s bathroom arrest is not what he may have been doing tapping his shoe in that stall, but that Minnesotans are still paying policemen to tap back. For almost 40 years most police departments have been aware of something that still escapes the general public: men who troll for sex in public places, gay or “not gay,” are, for the most part, upstanding citizens. Arresting them costs a lot and accomplishes little. Firewall

Comments

[ginahelen.livejournal.com]

Good article -- made me think. I have a question, though, that you may be able to address (since you probably have more experience with men's bathrooms than I do). Police stake out these bathrooms b/c of "complaints from the public", right? So are people being disturbed when they inadvertently walk in on a tearoom scene? If so, then the police have a right to try to put a stop to it, especially if laws against public "lewd activity" are involved. Those laws are enforced against straight people, too.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.

[ginahelen.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to add... I'm all for consentual activity between adults. It's when it takes place in public that I have a problem. The other people in that public place haven't necessarily given their consent to witness such actions. (I'm not trying to cause problems, I just want to hear "the other side" of the issue.)

Hmm...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

I'm not a tearoom cruiser, but I've known lots who are, and I doubt what goes on in real life is anything like the porno version.

There's apparently some legal question about expectations of privacy in a stall with ONE person in it.

I do object to police being used at stake-outs to trap adults in morals crimes: cruising, prostitution, etc. I think there time would be much better spent working on real crimes.

You also hafta remember that men have been thrown off planes for kissing. Some people get excited very, very easily.

Re: Hmm...

[ginahelen.livejournal.com]

Ok, I understand privacy concerns. If a court rules that there's an expectation of privacy, there it is.

Prostitution should be legalized. Think of the tax revenues... and the safety measures for the workers...

That sucks about people getting thrown off planes. Some other people just need to get a clue.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I object to the idea of police officers staking out men's rooms. On the other hand, it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.

It's notable that the cries of "it's not ethical to entrap consenting adults for 'moral' crimes" seem to become loudest when the entrapped party has been so strongly in favor of criminalizing consenting adults.

I'm just agin it...

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Wot a waste of a cute cop!

Re: I'm just agin it...

[daedala.livejournal.com]

I know! Such a baby face.... No wonder he finds it so easy to pick up creepy old men.