Sex Sting at Phila. Department Store

[LovesYng]

Sixteen people were arrested when the city vice squad acted on information that individuals were meeting for sex in the second floor bathroom of a Center City department store.

 

Managers of the Strawbridge’s at 8th and Market Streets became aware that sex acts were occurring inside the men’s room several weeks ago and contacted police.

 

On Thursday evening, undercover officers arrested 16 males ranging in age from 21 to 80. Several other men left the store upon witnessing police before ever reaching the rest room.

 

"Apparently this bathroom was well known," explained Joseph Lanciano of the Philadelphia Police Department.

 

The charges include indecent exposure, open lewdness, and disorderly conduct.

 

All of the sex was reportedly consensual.

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[JT Brooklyn]

The 80 year old can cop to Alzheimer's..The 21 year old, hangin in Tea Rooms probably won't live to 80 ! :+

[bigguyinpasadena]

JT-I find your comment ill-informed!

Why would you consider sex that happens in a T-room any more risky(healthwise at least)than sex that occurs in a private residence.

I am 45 years old.Much of my youthful hijinjs happened in boothstores,adult theatres,parks,bathhouses,and many many public restrooms.

Made it through all of that without a scratch.

I find the HIV"phobia"that is infecting the board of late to be disquieting.You can have totally safe fun with poz guys if you want-and for those of you that are not playing safe-well you are fools.Beliving anything a one nightstand/paid hookup would say regarding his status is very stupid.

[guyinsf]

I'm confused because I don't see any mention of HIV in the post you are criticizing. I actually interpreted the comment to mean that if the 21 year old keeps having sex in public places, he might get hurt physically either in jail or while cruising in a public place. I'm not saying that's what JT meant (perhaps your interpretation is on the money), but it does seem to me that you jumped into attack mode based on only your interpretation of JT's comments.

 

>JT-I find your comment ill-informed!

>Why would you consider sex that happens in a T-room any more

>risky(healthwise at least)than sex that occurs in a private

>residence.

>I am 45 years old.Much of my youthful hijinxs happened in

>boothstores,adult theatres,parks,bathhouses,and many many

>public restrooms.

>Made it through all of that without a scratch.

>I find the HIV"phobia"that is infecting the board of late to

>be disquieting.You can have totally safe fun with poz guys if

>you want-and for those of you that are not playing safe-well

>you are fools.Beliving anything a one nightstand/paid hookup

>would say regarding his status is very stupid.

[LovesYng]

Hmmm, I see where this thread is going

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[JT Brooklyn]

..Thank You guyinsf..That is exactly what I meant. I have always been intrigued, that alot of Violent Scenes, in Action Movies take place in Tea Rooms. Of course when there are 16 guys doing each other, I guess there would be.. to many Witnesses to a crime! "NYC Tea Rooms".. I am sure are never that crowded, ANYMORE! LOL :+

[Bilbo]

I wonder if the guys who saw what was going on without entering the restroom went immediately to lap tops, etc., to post warnings on the various local gay chat rooms? Probably not, but I prefer to think that they did.

[ErikMcAlister]

Why should they?

Suppose Little Billy is out shopping for an Easter suit with Mommy. He's got to pee, but is too old to go in to the restroom with Mommy. She sends him into the mensroom. Why on EARTH should he have to walk in on some guy sucking another off or someone fucking some guy? Meet wherever you want, but take the resulting action somewhere that it won't intrude on others.

[Guest Delaware Man]

>Why should they?

>Suppose Little Billy is out shopping for an Easter suit with

>Mommy. He's got to pee, but is too old to go in to the

>restroom with Mommy. She sends him into the mensroom. Why on

>EARTH should he have to walk in on some guy sucking another

>off or someone fucking some guy? Meet wherever you want, but

>take the resulting action somewhere that it won't intrude on

>others.

Bravo Erik. I totally agree with your statement. Public sex is one of the reasons straight people hate us and think we are just a bunch of perverts. Get a room!

[+ Hoover42]

In my opinion, straight people hate us, period.

 

The fact that some gay men engage in public sex is only one excuse they use to justify their hatred.

[ErikMcAlister]

EXCUSE????

[JT Brooklyn]

How about "Get a Room with a Toilet"...:+

[BewareofNick]

I have to agree with Ethan on this one as well. Public restrooms are not intended for sex. If they were, there'd be beds in them. If you want to have sex in a public place, go to your local bathhouse.

[Guest Ruben]

This sting operation by the police in Philadelphia makes me wonder if the Premier Agency is also vulnerable to similar police action. In other words, assuming the police know about Premier, why don't they move in, arrest the escorts and clients and close the place down?

 

I don't live anywhere near Philadelphia, but Premier sounds like a first class operation, and I would hate to see the police move against them.

[BobbyB]

>This sting operation by the police in Philadelphia makes me

>wonder if the Premier Agency is also vulnerable to similar

>police action.

 

Ruebin: The agency's escorts are paid just for their time. Anything that happens between the escort and the client "happens between consenting adults." ( Dontcha know. )

 

JT: Since my default is to usually presume humor was intended, I thought your line about the 21 year old not making it to 80 was hilarious just on face value. I can't help myself; I just seem to wake up on the happy side of life. However, come day's end it's not always the way I go to bed. Especially if I've just read the Message Center, if-ya-know-what-I-mean-and-I-think-you-do. :+ )

 

- BobbyB

[NickAtNight]

This is the 2nd time in 2 years that the police have raided this same T-Room at Strawbridges. You'd think these guys would have learned a lesson from the last police sting and have stayed away. The bottom line is that if 16 guys are in a public restroom at one time and a straight customer comes in to use the facilities and can't, this now becomes a "public nuisance" and I'm sure it's happened enough times and enough complaints were filed with department store management, and that was the reason for this raid.

 

Back in my younger days I was in a T-Room out in the burbs that had 2 stalls and 2 urinals. There were about 6 of us in there at the time. Little Johnny walks in and is about 8 years old. Mommy was waiting out in the hall for him. He cannot reach the urinals and both stalls were filled. You'd think one of those old queens would have gotten up to let Johnny pee, but NO neither of them budged. I finally yelled for one of the to get the Fuck up and let the little kid piss. By then, little Johnny ran out and told his mother. I promptly left because I knew what was coming next. Sure enough, I heard security came back and took everyone that was left in the bathroom into their office and took I D and told them that if they're caught in that bathroom again, they'd be arrested.

 

It's the problem with any type of public cruise area. Once the word gets out, guys flock there in droves in hopes of hooking up. But the flocks of guys bring attention to it and it eventually becomes a public nuisance and it gets shut down. It happens with Highway Rest Areas, Public Parks, even Adult Book Stores with Glory Holes.

 

A Great example is Higby Beach in Cape May, NJ. It was a nude beach for years, tucked away from the main straight beach. But then more and more guys started finding out about it and drew more attention to it. There was lots of public sex back in the bushes behind the beach, it bacame a public nuisance and now it's been closed for good.

[JT Brooklyn]

I doubt "Premier" has any worries..UNLESS they decide to set up a "Commission Rental Space" at a Counter in a Major Department Store..Trust me. the Old Queens in NYC would have done that year's ago in their "Temple Bloomingdales".. I bet the odd B/J can still be gotten there, somewhere! There sure are enuff "Horny Queens" always roaming around the Counters..LOL :+

[JT Brooklyn]

Bobby.B So True!...LOL :+

[Eric]

always wondered - how does premier get away with it ? law enforcement must know about them - the press too - it's not some secret - it's cool they have a place - but why can some do this for years, and others get shut down immediately ? do they have an 'arrangement'? it would be so easy to do a sting - in australia where it is legal there are similar places yet police have been known to harrass some of the people going in and out

[Flower]

>The fact that some gay men engage in public sex is only one

>excuse they use to justify their hatred.

 

I agree that public sex could be offensive to others and out of common courtesy, privacy should be sought, although maybe not as exciting to some }(

 

Your statement seems to imply that only gay men engage in public sex--that is understandable, since the instances where I have seen it publicized, it has not made headlines--barely a mention, whereas if their gay counterparts are caught, there is a big to-do.

 

BUT, str8's do it too. From what I've seen, heard, and read, there is very little that gays do that str8's don't! We just get the bad press, and to that extent, it is just an excuse to justify hatred and discrimination.

[+ Hoover42]

[em]Your statement seems to imply that only gay men engage in public sex[/em]

 

Sorry...I didn't intend to imply that was the case. I was only trying to say that many straight people believe it to be true.

 

...Hoover

[Bilbo]

I do not agree with public sex. Hell, I don't even agree with street prostitution. However, I do know that there are those on the threads who do believe in that second one - we have a whole part of the board for it. Probably, there are those reading this who believe in the first one, and I hope that they will have taken to heart hearing, from you guys, the umpteenth time they have heard the same arguments. Just because I think their true ..... However, your interest and my interest are not at stake here. We are talking about men who evidently came into the store to go to that tea room. So, ipso facto, they agree with public sex. So, I still hope that they have enough fellow feeling for other public sex afficianados that they tried to warn each other instead of each celebrating his solo escape.

[ErikMcAlister]

It is a bit more obvious if a man walks into the women's room to fuck, I'd think.

[taylorky]

they should be locked up,jeessshhh who wants to watch monkey sex in a PUBLIC TOILET!!!!

[Guest ncm2169]

< If you want to have sex in a public place, go to your local bathhouse.

 

Well, there's "sex" and there's "sex." Bookstores afford lots of opportunities. I know. I just introduced someone to the world of being an escort as a result of meeting him there. And, we weren't playing acrobats there. }(