Fridae

The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), a major Australian broadsheet newspaper, has reported on Monday that Myer, a popular department store chain, has closed its level one toilet in its downtown Sydney store to the public "due to rampant homosexual activity."

Titled "Gay sex forces closure of store toilets," the news report said the move to make the toilet a staff-only facility has "exposed a massive list of venues being used by members of a gay web site cruising for sex."

The article, which was one of the day's most read on the SMH web site, also listed other meeting spots such as the library at the University of NSW, Marrickville Metro, the Royal Australian Air Force's Richmond base, Bankstown Airport's rest area and Sydney Opera House's toilets.

According to the report, the store's management were "forced to close to the public the level one toilet at Myer's Sydney city store in Pitt Street because 'homosexuals were using the facility as a meeting point, often having sex in full view of other horrified users.'"

The report quoted a Myer staff member who said she had seen "men running out of the toilet alerting employees about homosexual activity, while others had complained about being propositioned."

She continued: "I wouldn't let my friend's young son go in there, no way. I was really worried about his safety," she said. "There were men going in and out all the time. I'd see men sitting on the chair near the toilet just waiting. It's been happening for years."

A security guard quoted said, "The whole city has got that problem," when he was asked if the safety issues he cited were due to men using the toilet as a hook-up point.

The report also quoted Michelle Boston, the CEO of Crows Nest Community Centre which was listed on the web site as a pick-up point. She said: "This is awful. We have so many vulnerable people that come here."

Although she was unaware of any incidents in the listed ground floor toilets, she was reportedly "appalled when told by smh.com.au."

Within 30 minutes of being informed, Boston phoned the paper back and said: "I have taken immediate action. All toilets are now locked. People will have to report to reception to get a key. All children who use the facility will have to be accompanied by a parent. We care about our community and do not want them put at risk."

While most of the debate generated focused on whether sex in places like shopping mall toilets "should be something decent GLBT people condone" and why "can't gay men show some responsibility and not have public sex where non-gay people are going to be," few however commented on the inflammatory language used in the newspaper report which links gay men with paedophiles by quoting comments which linked gay men with children and "vulnerable people."

One message read: "This is repulsive. We all know it happens and that we're not going to change anything, but to save some sort of credibility in our community, we need to be vocal by saying that sex in public places like shopping malls is not something decent GLBT people condone.

"My own view is that such activities are 'more likely' to be undertaken by closeted married "heterosexual" men, but that's not the point as the finger will only be pointed at us."

A Sydneysider Fridae contacted, Wayne (who prefers not to reveal his last name due to work reasons), said that as a regular shopper at both Myer's Sydney City store and at Marrickville Metro, he has never "witnessed, much less taken part in any activity other than those for which the rest-room facilities are designed." He added that he is equally unaware of Bankstown Airport rest area being a cruising venue despite having worked at the Bankstown Airport for over 10 years and living in the airport for three years.

"I would not hesitate to suggest that if any such activities (which I do not condone) occur as the web site seemingly suggests; they are more likely to be discreet, covert and infrequent, than 'rampant.'"

Wayne added: "The author's language suggests a definite bias against the homosexual and/or bisexual communities, clearly aiming to sensationalise the matter and alarm the public through unbalanced reporting."

He dismissed the statement made by the Myer staff member who said that she would not let her friend's young son go in there as being sensationalistic. "Anyone who would allow young child, regardless of gender, to enter any public toilet facility unaccompanied is a person without reasonable regard for the child's welfare in the first place."

"As a member of the Sydney gay community, and the leader of a prominent Sydney gay community organisation, I am completely unaware that such practices would or could be construed as to constitute 'rampant' in any sense of the word, and I find the SMH author's slant on the matter derogatory, unnecessarily inflammatory and decidedly discriminatory."

When contacted by Fridae, Sydney based gay author Andy Quan, who also works as an International Policy Officer with the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, said he thinks debates about public versus private sex among gay men is valid but would prefer to "see it within our community rather than plastered in a sensationalistic way on the front pages of the daily newspapers."

"There's no way any debate on this could take place in the mainstream, and the way the story was written portrays gay men as predatory, and promiscuous."