5 arrested at gay sex site

Phila. Daily News ^ | Thu, Feb. 13, 2003 | CATHERINE LUCEY

[NativeSon]

Wild, anonymous, male sex romps took place frequently in the sixth-floor men's room at the Center City Strawbridge's store, police said.

Police arrested five men yesterday, and another half dozen last month, in the bathroom, which is listed as a primo sex spot on a graphic Web site catering to gay men.

The men's room also was featured in Philadelphia magazine last month as "one of the classiest spots in town to find love with a perfect stranger."

All face charges of prostitution or lewd behavior, said Lt. Charles Green. None was a Strawbridge's employees.

Strawbridge officials were not available to comment last night.

Green said Strawbridge's, on Market near 9th, reported the problem to police in early January after a father and son walked into the bathroom around Christmas and saw two men having sex.

According to posts on the gay Web site, the bathroom has been popular for months. As many as 11 men could be crowded into the room, they said.

"I've been here when the stalls were half full and three guys were standing outside the occupied stalls with their pants down (or off completely!)," one writer said.

Another said: "I've been there when four or five guys are all going at it at the same time."

The bathroom is located in the restaurant, at the far end of the long pink dining room, with white linen tablecloths, crystal chandeliers and oil paintings.

The restroom appeared pretty slow last night.

The Web site also suggests other public bathrooms for the sexually voracious, including one in the Mellon Building on Market near 8th; the bathroom near the food court at the Gallery, on Market between 7th and 11th; and the basement restroom in the Mellon Bank Building at Market Street near 18th.

Green said they were investigating other locations, but would not reveal where they were.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I brought my sons into a public restroom on the NY Thruway, and had to back out fast.

Very sad.
(Also "backing out" was definitely the proper course of action.)

[f.Christian]

Public bathrooms .. .. .. come on -- -- -- whatta YOU think ?

[biblewonk]

I'll repeat it slower for you. Do...you...think...fornication...should...be...illegal? Why or Why not?

Nooooooooo...That's too general a charge and Isreal, which had a right to punish it showed itself not worthy to do so therefore how much less a heathen government like ours. Prostitution is much less general a sexual sin. I also think porn is prostitution and should also be illegal but the cat's out of the bag there.

[NativeSon]

It isn't, and until cops with as big a budget as the Philly PD figure out how to use their resources effectively, having them chase after whatever somebody thinks is icky, is counterproductive.

"Icky" isn't the problem breaking the law and then publishing it is. And this goes back to my statement about Philly trying to improve itself with tourism and business and these illegal antics undermine that. Yes B&E's are a problem but here you have perps committing crimes on provate property and then drawing you a map and telling everyone where they will do it again- what do they expect would happen?

I don't care about the g@y part too much- except that this is good ammo for the "we're like everyone else" line- it's the illegal and lewd acts treated as normal/acceptable.

[mollynme]

It's Mickey Gilly.
It's Johnnie Lee. It was his first gold. record

[asneditor]

There you go again with assumptions. Assuming gets you know where. As I should have know you are more of a blow hard than anything else. If you would do your reasearch you would find that Resident Reagan belonged the the Christian Church as a young man. So I guess that makes him a liberal woman.
Let me help you to understand. First off Im no liberal and not a female either as much as you might like that to be the case. Also for FYI The Christian Church is also known as The Desciples of Christ.
Until you can control your assumptions and ridiculous accusations and start an argument based on fact and reason please don't bother responsing.

[stands2reason]

Immoral AND illegal, and rightly so.

[snooter55]

WE HAVE A WINNER !!
Snooter ;o)

[Dinsdale]

If libertarians are conservatives I must be something else.

Yep, you are a puritan.

[Kevin Curry]

I am a proud Libertarian and I do not know of any other libertarian who would approve of what these homo's are doing.

How would you "not approve" unless you were judging what you were not approving?

And libertarians are not conservatives. Honest, savvy libertarians will readily admit it.

[Kevin Curry]

If he's a puritan, you're a moral reprobate.

[Dinsdale]

You don't know me...Puritan.

Libertarian's are the most constitutionally conservative people there are. Conserverative in the broader sense (wanting things to stay the same), proudly no.

[Temple Owl]

has HUGE ears and we haven't heard from him for some time now.

Bing Crosby

[cyborg]

I worked at Bloomingdale's in Roosevelt Field. NBC had a hidden camera watching the gay men go in and out. One day a gay man picked the wrong day, wrong stall to mess with. He was looking over the top of a stall, watching a ten year old boy pee. Then he tried to get into the stall to coax the boy to give him a h-job. The boy ran out and told his father (a NYPD detective) who were it not for security, would have put a cap in that fag's head. Sad. After that, they had to set up a permanent security guard detail in the men's room.

[biblewonk]

Now with the religion part out of the way I will also tell you I too am for legalization of drugs. Why? Im sure that is your first question. Because, the only person being hurt by drugs is the person taking them and that is their choice.

I posted again and I'm still making assumptions about someone who feels this way.