(Stock photo:- Hayle Towans, a 'cruising' ground in Cornwall)
With cruising a way in which some gay/bisexual men meet others in particular in primarily rural areas like the southwest (Cornwall & Devon) where alternative opportunities to liaise & socialize, or just have sex are few and far between.
The recent activities of homophobes running a website against gay cruising in Devon are causing considerable concern. Hayle Towans in Cornwall & other such sites may well be targeted next by these anti-gay vigilantes.
Pinknews website is reporting that the Information Commissioner is to investigate a SouthWest anti-cruising website after an exclusive report by PinkNews.co.uk.
The anti-cruising website, set up to raise awareness of the "disgusting" practice of gay men meeting for sex, publishes uncensored images of car registration plates and faces of men allegedly involved in Devon.
http://www.cruisingscene.co.uk focuses on the Haldon area of Devon, near Exeter. Local residents have previously complained about finding used condoms and tissues in the area.
The anti-gay website warns: "All over the country there is a disgusting underground world that most decent members of society have little or no knowledge of. This world is one where outwardly heterosexual men with wives and families at home go out 'cruising'.
It adds: "Many of these men partake in unprotected sex with each other, indeed their preferences are advertised for all to see on the websites referred to above. They then obviously go home to their families and will resume 'normal sexual relations' within that home, passing on goodness knows what disease to these completely innocent people."
The irony is the area is frequently used by Heterosexual’s for the sexual activity & practice of ‘dogging’ but there is no mention or alluding to this fact by the anti -gay cruising site.
Several PinkNews.co.uk readers voiced their concerns about the anti-gay website. One reader, who wished to remain anonymous, said the site was "vile" and "homophobic". Word is that Devon & Cornwall police response has been weak & insipid to concerns expressed by gay persons.
"What is really worrying is what … this sort of vigilantism can lead to. The Sexual Offences Act of 2003 was supposed to mean that we can now meet in public, but if we have to tolerate this sort of one-sided behavior, then no real gains in our freedom has been achieved.
"Cruising areas, in rural areas especially, mean a place where gay and bisexual men can meet, as usually the surrounding towns and villages are poorly served by gay bars."
This a particular problem in the south west
Cruising areas near some major cities in the UK are being reported as being targeted by vigilante gangs of youths of particular fervent ethnic religious views & background, and intimidating and threatening gay/bisexual persons at these sites. This sort of anti-gay practice with encouragement of such an anti-gay website is likely to spread further to the South West.
Although the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) was initially unsure whether the anti-gay cruising site was breaching data protection laws, it is now launching an investigation.
An ICO spokesman is supposed to have said "We will be investigating this website to establish if it is processing personal data and if so, whether it is in compliance with the Data Protection Act."
One company, whose van was featured on the website with its registration number and company details clearly visible, said its vehicle was not in the area for cruising, adding it would be contacting the ICO to have the image removed.
Stephen Loughrey of Carter-Ruck, a law firm which specialises in libel and privacy law is reported as having said "In my view this is a gross invasion of the privacy of the people whose photographs have been published. The activity being reported upon here is consensual sex between adults. While it is distinguishable from the circumstances of the Mosley case (in that the activity being reported upon is happening in public), there is no public interest in publishing unpixalated photographs showing the car number plates and faces of those purportedly engaging in this activity.
"Although the individuals involved may not have a reasonable expectation of privacy while engaging in the activity, they have a legitimate and entirely reasonable expectation that photographs of them doing so will not be published to the world at large.
"While the activity may potentially constitute a minor public order offence (if for example local people have raised complaint), the degree of the intrusion into the private lives of those pictured is not proportionate to the public interest supposedly being served by the publication."
The response of one commentator on Pink News website was:-
"Living in Exeter, I have to say that Haldon is notorious for dogging as well as for gay cruising, so it is definitely homophobic to single out "gay" men for particular condemnation. The website cruising.co.uk makes the point that up to 80% of men cruising for sex with men are "straight" (interesting to see how they collected that statistic?).
There was an alleged policewoman threatening to patrol and prosecute men who frequent cruising areas in the south west a couple of years ago, and who posted the same on cruising sites (Haldon was a specific target then!). So the source of this latest attack must include Devon and Cornwall police in its list of suspects, simply because the local police have tolerated this sort of homophobic practise from within their own ranks before, and frankly the local "LGBT liason officers" are not worth their salaries in effective, or affirmative action. No wonder Exeter Police have not replied!
The kind of condemnation of homosexuality seen in this website seems to be a direct attempt to influence those who are closeted about their sexuality; married men, and men who feel they can not live openly with the burden of being "out" and facing the social stigma that still remains in Britain today, largely peddled by the sort of person who reads the Daily Mail, the Sun, or believes Doris Karloff (a.k.a. Anne Widdecombe who is moving here, probably to further support the homo-phobic Evangelical Christian Union's efforts to undermine the University's Equality and Diversity commitments like she did last year).
Whatever your personal feelings are towards cruising, frankly we should not condemn people who feel this is the only way they can express their sexuality. Paradoxically, this sort of contact can seem to some to be anonymous, and the only way they can fulfil their desire, away from their families or colleagues, or from public bars where they may be known, or from contact websites where they may feel exposed.
If we do not speak for those who are voiceless; the clandestine, the fearful, the anonymous; if we do not defend those, then who will speak up or defend us? We must recognise that a lot of this sexual behaviour is a reaction to society's ongoing demonisation of homosexuality, especially from the religious right. The crushing society norms force men to fulfill their desires at anonymous cruising sites rather than openly in normal social contexts (including websites), since these are hetero-centric and only the "out" gay man can legitimately exist there, and then only on suspicious sufferance. Such "normalising" behaviour militates against the multiple sexual identities of many men.
It is time we stopped trying to "heterosexualise" homosexuality by aping false heterosexual identities (like the monogamous, christian, married couple) and supported a more rounded view of sexuality that, while including monogamy, also accepts the legitimacy of polygamy and polyamory and other sexual expression.
If we did a little more of that, and got society to see how it demonises itself (since most heterosexuals who attempt monogamy eventually fail), then perhaps the need for such spaces would diminish.
I also have to add that the disappointment felt towards Intercom (Trust) mainly stems from its own "hetero-normative" stance. As an organisation it alienated many Cornish people earlier this year by accusing a famous dead Cornish artist (Henry Scott Tuke) of being a paedophile. The artist is bound up in the Cornish discourse of identity, so Intercom was particularly insensitive and deserves its many criticisms".
Other gay persons have also expressed grave concern that gay men involved in any homophobic incident regarding cruising or conflict with police regarding their sexuality should NOT under ANY circumstance involve the Intercom Trust.
(NB:-It should be noted that the Equality & Human Rights Commission did state that Intercom Trust may have breached articles of the Human Rights Act regarding their attack upon the iconic artwork of Henry Scott Tuke)
The anti-gay cruising site website's domain name listed as belonging to the cartoon character "Scooby Doo". But 123-Reg, PinkNews.co.uk report the company that processed the domain name registration, told PinkNews.co.uk that they believe the name belongs to a Mike Rowland. The rest of the information they have on file is fake so it is difficult to trace him.
Professor Peter Sommer, a well-known expert in privacy and data protection at the London School of Economics, is reported by PinkNews.co.uk as having said "If the pictures were taken in a public place, there is probably no protection the Information Commissioner can give. But there is possible protection under privacy rights in human rights laws, such as those used by celebrities who have been photographed with their children or worse for wear coming out of a nightclub. Whether there is a public interest is arguable."
PinkNews.co.uk reported they had contacted Exeter police but have yet to receive a response.
Other gay channels report Devon & Cornwall Constabulary response had been weak.
(NB: Note added by PinkPasty:_ Devon & Cornwall Police STILL tolerate homophobic attitudes & practise of police officers against gay persons)
Homophobia…coming to a cruising site near you & probably with Devon & Cornwall Constabulary blessing!
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