”Why should we try to maintain something that is actually impossible to
maintain, which also causes little bother for others and, for a certain
group, actually signifies much pleasure?” asked Oud-Zuid district
Alderman Paul van Grieken.
People having sex in the park will be expected to do so only after dark
and out of public view. They also must not leave condoms lying about.
Meanwhile, the police institute’s National Diversity Expertise Center is
advising other cities to follow Amsterdam’s lead. It said legalizing
park sex would help protect gay men from queer-bashers.
The Amsterdam branch of the Dutch national gay group COC (now known only
by its formal initials) welcomed the news.
”Cruising is something belonging to all times and banning it does not
work anyway,” said chairman Dennis Boutkan. ”They do it surreptitiously
and mostly without others being annoyed by it. By agreeing on rules of
behavior, safety can be increased.”
Uppdaterad 2016-11-15
