The Neighborhood Council in L.A.’s Silver Lake district voted unanimously to remove “No Cruising” signs along Griffith Park Boulevard and Hyperion Avenue they say were products of a bygone era, The Eastsider LA reports:
“Cruising,” in this case, has been the euphemistic term for searching for sex partners. The signs were installed in 1997 following many years of complaints of gay men cruising for sex near popular bars. The signs, having long outlived their intended use, are now “an embarrassment,” as one community member put it. “They stigmatize the neighborhood,” noted board member Michael Masterson. The board voted unanimously in favor of removing the signs.
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These signs are laughable. Not only would they identify the area as a cruising area to those not in the know but how on earth could they be enforced. Surely there must be people that live or work in the area are they too not allowed? Would a jogger that has not intention of cruising for sex not be allowed to backtrack? What moron came up with these signs in the first place? If I was a str8 person living or working in the area I would be ambarrased to pass by just once for fear that people might think I was cruisng….LOL
So if you walk (or drive) somewhere and back along the same route (to the market, post office, church, etc.) within six hours, you’re “cruising”? I don’t think there’s jail space enough in the country to hold all the offenders. And besides, guys who are really cruising don’t take six hours to retrace their route. I would love to have been at the Neighborhood Council meeting where they actually put a time limit on this nonsense. Must’ve been quite the debate — and a VERY slow news day.