Posted on 01/11/2003 5:30:12 AM PST by chance33_98
Gay baths raid slammed
But Calgary cops defend upholding law By CP
CALGARY -- A police raid has forced sex between gay men from the confines of a bathhouse out into the streets and in public view, say leaders of Calgary's gay community.
"I think what you're going to see is an increase in that activity until either the bathhouse is open again or an alternative facility (is introduced)," said Roy Heale, publisher of Calgary's gay magazine, Outlooks.
The number of encounters recorded since the Dec. 11 closure of Goliath's Sauna and Texas Lounge has increased significantly, members of the gay community heard when they attended a meeting this week to discuss the issue.
Heale said Calgary's Glenmore Park is one of the favourite destinations for men who want a sexual encounter but choose not to -- or are unable to -- "come out" because of professional or personal responsibilities.
"Bathhouses in any city are quite often the place to go when you want a lot of privacy and you don't want to be seen in a bar or a restaurant -- and quite often it tends to be married men or bisexuals," he said.
"Once a person comes out, they're comfortable at the bars, the clubs ... a bathhouse has been a bit of a sanctuary for gay or bisexual men who want to maintain secrecy about what they're doing."
COMMON BAWDY HOUSE
Most major cities in Canada have at least one bathhouse similar to the one in Calgary, said Heale.
Another important benefit of bathhouses is how they promote safe sex, said Stephen Lock, who sits on the gay and lesbian communities police liaison committee.
"Safer sex information can be more easily disseminated (at a bathhouse) and there's certain peer pressure to practise safe sex." Lock said 13 men, many of them married, face charges relating to the bust, which he called ill-conceived, due to the fact the bathhouse was a private establishment. The owners and two employees have been charged with keeping a common bawdy house.
Police concede the raid has harmed relations with the city's gay community but maintain they were acting on a complaint of illicit behaviour.
"I think what you're going to see is an increase in that activity until either the bathhouse is open again or an alternative facility (is introduced)," said Roy Heale, publisher of Calgary's gay magazine, Outlooks.
How about taking it to a hotel/motel/private residence?????
Notice the word "safer", not safe. They are lying to themselves.
It has been almost 20 years since we first heard about AIDs. At this point in time, no one should be infected with this desease. We know what it is, and we know how it spreads, and we know how it can be contained.
But as the first polictically correct desease, it is protected. I have to wonder about the sanity of homosexuals.
It is a little like the Democrats. If they would have taken the hit on Bill Clinton, and impeached him, Al Gore would be President today.
If the Homosexual community would have followed standard practices in fighting STD, AIDs would not have gotten as established in the "gay" community as it has.
The homosexuals fought against acts that would have controlled the spread of the desease, and now 20 years later it is still being spread.
I can have sympathy for a fellow human being as they waste away from a desease, but I have no sympathy for "gay" activist who wish to continue down a deadly path, all the while crying society is not doing enough for them.
Living in Northern California with the major newspapers coming out of San Francisco I have read stories where the younger "gay" men upset because they missed out in the golden age of homosexuallity of free sex before AIDs. I have also read that some do not follow safe sex practices because they want to get the desease (for reasons I can not understand). And I have read of stories of "gay" men, once they have AIDs willing to spread the desease (again for reasons I can not understand.)
These are anecdotal stories to be sure, and may not represent the homosexual community at large, but then if you (figuratively) watch the action of "gays" they would seem to be true.
As an observer on life I would have to say, coming out of the closet for "gay" men may have not been the best thing to happen to them, only time will tell.
I would tend to think that they want it in order to become a sort of martyr.
They already have an indentity crisis if they're attracted to other men. With AIDS they can host a pity party and all their friends will come (er...attend).
I just can't imagine even walking into one...
Why not?
Although I have no problem with bathhouses.. (errr...'cept I'd never set foot near one.).... or sex between heteros in such places, for that matter...
.... Don't they have beds in Canada? Bedrooms? Houses?? Apartments? Motels?
Well, the bathhouse was a private place. Which is what is odd.
Why not just put up warning signs on the door, no underage entry, etc.. and let them be?
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