September 1 5 .2QÛÛ Public enemy To the E ditor : PENINSULA REALTY INC. Fernando's Hideaway in Forest PRICE $209,950 Contemporary style 3 bed. 2 1/2 ba. a rowhouse alternative, decks on 2 levels w/ mtn & river views, minutes drive to Dwtn locations. 8t£hanlVBM, CRT CENTURY 21 PENINSULA REALTY 503-804-9424 Cell/VM 503-286-5826 Office CB X i= ± Works Professional Service Comfortable Bikes Recumbents a Specialty! Open Tuesday-Sunday 230-7723 2025 SE Hawthorne W estover H eights C L I N I ( Offering general internal medicine and excelling in sexual health care Serving the community for 17 yearo 2330 NW Flanders Suite 207 226-6678 After reading Chuck Engel’s letter (“Get Off My Back”) in the Aug. 18 issue, I felt moved to ask the question, “What is it about the male libido that makes men engage in sexual activity in public placesT This behavior isn’t particular to sexual orien­ tation. On the contrary, Engel’s letter makes it quite clear that “adult bookstores” (what a funny euphemism!) are not the private sleazy kingdoms of heterosexuals alone. No, indeed! Gay men also haunt the dark and dingy aisles and hack rooms of these places, jerking off to fine literature and film. Seriously, though, 1 never have understood why men need to have sex in parks, book­ stores, movie theaters and bars. When Engel says that “the problem isn’t simply public sex. It is that the male libido is not easily out­ lawed,” I wonder what he’s referring to. Is pub­ lic sex a problem, or is the attempt to outlaw public sex a problem? When he says that “given the male anatomy, some sort of outlet is warranted,” I’m curious about what that means. Does he mean that because a man has a penis, it needs to be stuck into something? Or does he mean that men are ruled by their libido, driving them to uncontrollable urges that come upon them without warning, and there­ fore they need to duck into bookstores or movie arcades to satisfy these sudden attacks of sexual desire? Either way, it seems to me that Engel per­ petuates some tired old stereotypes that don’t give men much respect or credit. I just can’t believe that, these days anyway, it’s so difficult to meet other gay men in safer cir­ cumstances, in the light of day. And I refuse to accept that most gay men need a public place to engage in sexual activities. In fact, I hope we have evolved beyond back alleys, dark and dingy bookstores, public sex in parks and other historically shameful places. Otherwise, it sort of puts the lie to “gay pride.” I mean, how proud can you feel, jerking off alone in a dirty booth of a movie arcade or behind the books in an adults-only store? Or having to meet a strange guy down under a bridge by the river in order to have sex? Ah, I guess I’m just an old feminist dyke with naive, old-fashioned attitudes left over from the 70s. But it still bothers me that gay men might fall back on dangerous, unnecessary behaviors that only give the Baptists, the Oregon Citizens Alliance and other straight folks of that ilk ammunition against us. It’s the 21st century. Do you guys really need to have sex in public places in order to find companionship or as an outlet for your sexual satisfaction? R hiannon A she Corvallis I T Ü F P I N Ö I t • Art iP G ffo iw w Q re V in fG g ’a & Way Coot StoPP V p il o t s l e r o & £>«