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July 21. 2000 » Ju st M t 2 1
T he I ns and O uts of P ublic S ex
ear the duck pond in Laurelhurst Park is a sign
detailing the “Outdoor Ethic” of park use. Readers
of the sign learn about litter, the environment and
respect for the outdoors. Nowhere on the sign is there
mention of the outdoor ethics of public sex.
The following article also is not intended to deal
with the ethics or the legality or the appropriateness
of public sex; rather, it was written to answer the
question “Is public sex an accepted part of gay cub
ture?”
It is my hope that this question and the answers
provided will lead to response and reaction from
readers— and then in turn lead to further questions,
answers and plans.
Tire Portland Police Bureau is unhappy with the
high rates of illegal sexual activity in Portland parks
and may soon be taking aggressive action to control
these activities.
As a community, as individuals, how do we bal­
ance the public and private aspects of our sexual
beings? Who decides what is right and wrong?
What is our “outdoor ethic” ?
N
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—Just Out Publisher M arty Davis
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- ..............' ..............................
by
i i
1
Marc
Acito
" 'I f I F 'T by do gay men have sex
^ '
# in the bushes?”
^
I love when people
/ I ;
ask me questions like
f
W this, as if I am an expert
on gay men simply by virtue of being one.
However, the query comes from a lesbian
friend of mine who is particularly fed up with
hearing about police crackdowns in public
parks.
My first thought is: “Do we? Do gay men
have sex in the bushes— or in restrooms or on
beaches or in adult video arcades?”
•
photos
by
Marty
Having done the married-in-the-suburbs
thing virtually my entire adult life (art imi­
tates life in my comic, "The Boys Next
Door”), 1 have no idea. Sc my partner, Floyd,
and 1 took it upon ourselves to survey 240 men
at Pride 2000 and Peacock in the Park.
A total of 54 percent of the men we sur­
veyed told us they’ve had sex with a stranger
in a public place (as defined above). And 41
percent have done so in the past two years.
Although the survey is hardly a scientific
one, the results portray a community divided
pretty evenly between the more conventional
Davis
“vanil.a sex" types and those determined to
lick every flavor they can.
B eating A round
the
B ush
•‘ H p h is is my bar,” says Corey, motioning to
A Laurelhurst Park, site of the infamous and
allegedly brutal 1993 police sting operation.
Corey s a regular here, and he agrees to act as
my “cruise director” for the evening. Together,
we take in the honeysuckle-scented night air.
Continued on Page 23