Bradley S. Gelder of Point Breeze is not a fan of police officers staking out public restrooms noted as gay sex havens.
Even more disturbing and surprising than the continuing homophobic right-wing hypocrisy exemplified by the Sen. Larry Craig story ("Idaho Senator Stepping Aside," Sept. 2) is that police departments continue to waste their time and our money patrolling public restrooms for gay sex.
How much money and time do Pittsburgh's finest waste on this ? If any, I'd demand they stop and reallocate their resources.
Bradley, I'm sure you could track this down if you really wanted to tackle this issue. I personally am not a fan of entrapping gay men hooking up in public bathrooms. It clearly smacks of our society's homophobic obsessions.
But I'm not a fan of anyone having sex in a public bathroom, male or female. It is hard enough to deal with big-haired yinzer chicks hogging all the mirror space, the mommy contingent with their floating armada that passes for a baby stroller these days and kids peeping under the stalls. I don't want to deal with people having sex on top of that. Unless they scare off the mommys and free up some room. That might be worth it.
Doesn't it seem really sad that someone seeks out sex in a public restroom? I know there are some thrill-seekers who enjoy the danger of getting caught. But I suspect (and my buddy J has confirmed) that there are more men who are there because they live fearfully and furtively.
That's Larry Craig's real crime -fostering a climate of homophobia so pervasive that millions of people remain in the closet, struggling with their identities. Denial and self-loathing lead to atypical behaviors -- some just sad (like collecting 800 million beanie babies) and others more perverted (like being the public face for Rick Santorum).
It is a waste of resources to stake out public toilets, but the police have a responsibility to investigate complaints, too. It would be a better use of resources to educate our police forces on LGBT issues and try to chip a little dent into the very homophobic world of law enforcement.
Or for the GOP to take some responsibility for creating a culture of hate that forces people like their very own Larry Craig to choose a road much too well-traveled.
Or as RNC vice-chair Dave Majernik of Plum spins it:
Republicans know that human beings are imperfect. Because we believe in higher standards does not mean that we think that we are superior to others. Republicans just believe that higher standards ensure better results
Remember, that's higher standards of behavior. Not higher standards of compassion, sympathy, justice, or tolerance. Higher standards of how to murder our finest young men and women as well as innocent civilians? Excellent.
