Gay men arrested for Sodomy...

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-25 11:39pm

http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20 ... 575506.htm

Gay sex in park 'worse' despite arrests

Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES Published 11/25/2002

Prince William County residents near Conway Robinson State Park say that homosexual men continue to go there for public sex, despite the recent sentencing of more than 50 people arrested in stings during the summer.

"I think it's worse than it was before," said Deedee Schaeffer, co-owner of a diner near the 400-acre, unstaffed reserve on Route 28 in Manassas. "They're just slapping them on the wrists."

Prince William County officials said most of the men were charged with misdemeanors and received probation or one-year jail sentences that were suspended or reduced to 10 days. They also paid fines of $120 to $200.

However, one man was charged with a felony count for sodomy and received a suspended sentence of five years. Five other men also face felony charges that carry sentences of one to five years in jail, officials said.

The arrests follow undercover stings in May and August by state police who arrested the men on charges including criminal solicitation, disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, sodomy and assault and battery, officials said.

The troopers said that some of the men grabbed and groped them during the arrests, and that they were occasionally assaulted while trying to serve the arrest warrants.

The stings occurred after Boy Scouts working on their merit badges found a used condom and observed men engaging in sexual activity in the park.

If the men are caught returning to the park or the Manassas Battlefield State Park or the rest stops near the Fairfax County line on Route 66, they will have to serve the remainder of their suspended sentences and could face additional trespassing charges that would add a year to their prison terms, said Prince William County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Claiborne T. Richardson II.

Miss Schaeffer thinks the sentences will make no difference.

"It would if the penalty were more harsh," she said. "But they're not getting anything."

Residents say they are not comfortable visiting the park.

"It's a shame," said 66-year-old Roy Dennis, who has lived in the area for 33 years. "That's a good little park. It's a shame you cannot use it for what it's supposed to be used for. You've got a group of individuals doing acts that you don't want your children to come across."

Mr. Richardson thinks the penalties will make a difference.

"Judges have been stating they felt this was a strong enough deterrent, and they've made open statements in court that if [the men] are found in those areas they have no problem giving them the rest of these sentences, and that they will do whatever is necessary to give these places back to the public," he said.

Police continue to investigate the problem.

"We anticipate future operations at different times, wherever our services are requested, until the problem is solved," said Lucy Caldwell, state police spokeswoman.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-25 11:42pm

Well, charging them for sodomy is a rather stupid practice, but they need to be more harshly penalized for public sex, surely.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-11-25 11:43pm

Interesting. They don't just charge them with indecent exposure, the way they would if they were heterosexuals doing the same thing. No, they charge them with the "crime" of sodomy, which carries heavier jail terms.

data_link · Post by **data_link** » 2002-11-25 11:43pm

Wonderful. Now we have idiots on both sides. Police who think that trying to eliminate homosexuality is a good thing, and idiots who are too cheap to rent a fucking hotel room! Stupid.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-11-25 11:46pm

Durran Korr wrote:Well, charging them for sodomy is a rather stupid practice, but they need to be more harshly penalized for public sex, surely.

More harshly penalized? Why? People get a slap on the wrist for embezzling millions of dollars and wiping out peoples' retirement funds. People get a slap on the wrist for animal cruelty. People get a slap on the wrist for littering, which turns entire cities into eyesores. But sex in the park demands heavier punishment than a slap on the wrist? Why? Who's hurt? People who are offended to see it?

I'll be the first to say I'd rather not walk through a park and see a couple of guys having sex. However, I don't see why anything more than a fine and maybe a night in jail is required for a crime which causes no real damage apart from disrupting the scenery.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-25 11:47pm

Maybe it's more an act of desperation than anything else; perhaps they wanted to charge these people with a felony in order to send a message to repeat offenders, and the only way to do that was to charge them with sodomy (I'm not familiar with the law in this area obviously, but indecent exposure is most likely not a felony). Still an abuse of the law.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-25 11:49pm

Durran Korr wrote: (I'm not familiar with the law in this area obviously, but indecent exposure is most likely not a felony).

Manassas is in Virginia. 'Nuff Said. If they wanted to have gay sex in the
PUBLIC parks, then they should have done it up here in Maryland, where
we have gay rights laws...

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2002-11-25 11:52pm

A gay guy has sex in a park, gets 5 years in prison. A guy commits man-slaughter or Rapes another person, gets 5 years in prison.

What the fuck? Whatever happened to a punishment fitting the crime? So some people get off on the exitment of sex in a public place, and it offends people. Oh well big fucking deal, Give them a 100 dollar fine and have them spend the night in jail, but 5 fucking years!? what is the world coming too?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-25 11:53pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Durran Korr wrote:Well, charging them for sodomy is a rather stupid practice, but they need to be more harshly penalized for public sex, surely.
More harshly penalized? Why? People get a slap on the wrist for embezzling millions of dollars and wiping out peoples' retirement funds. People get a slap on the wrist for animal cruelty. People get a slap on the wrist for littering, which turns entire cities into eyesores. But sex in the park demands heavier punishment than a slap on the wrist? Why? Who's hurt? People who are offended to see it?

I'll be the first to say I'd rather not walk through a park and see a couple of guys having sex. However, I don't see why anything more than a fine and maybe a night in jail is required for a crime which causes no real damage apart from disrupting the scenery.

Agreed, mostly. But, the law is supposed to discourage such behavior, and the current legal sanctions taken to remedy this problem are not working, apparently. Five years in prison is too extreme, obviously. Raised fines would be suitable.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-25 11:54pm

Alyrium Denryle wrote:What is the world coming too?

They did it in VIRGINIA, a state well known for it's laws, man. They should
have done it up here in Maryland, man.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-11-25 11:54pm

Alyrium Denryle wrote:A gay guy has sex in a park, gets 5 years in prison. A guy commits man-slaughter or Rapes another person, gets 5 years in prison.

What the fuck? Whatever happened to a punishment fitting the crime? So some people get off on the exitment of sex in a public place, and it offends people. Oh well big fucking deal, Give them a 100 dollar fine and have them spend the night in jail, but 5 fucking years!? what is the world coming too?

It's coming back to "traditional values", ie- good ol' fashioned goose-stepping intolerance.

EDIT: but as Shep pointed out, these laws vary from state to state. In Alabama, they probably would have just been shot.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-25 11:56pm

Darth Wong wrote: It's coming back to "traditional values", ie- good ol' fashioned goose-stepping intolerance.

Maryland is officially a "gay tolerant state" or whatever that means, we
got a bunch of gay rights laws passed at the behest of our governor,
who's brother died of AIDS some years ago...

I mean shit, these guys had to know that if they were caught doing
this stuff in VIRGINIA, they'd be screwed...

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-25 11:57pm

These cases will most likely be appealed to higher courts and struck down, because any reasonable judge can see that five years is a more than a tad ridiculous for the non-crime of sodomy and the relatively minor crime of indecent exposure.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-11-26 12:05am

Get a room, guys...

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2002-11-26 12:15am

MKSheppard wrote:
Alyrium Denryle wrote:What is the world coming too?
They did it in VIRGINIA, a state well known for it's laws, man. They should
have done it up here in Maryland, man.

If somebody's gonna fuck in a roadside park, driving another 50 miles up the road shouldn't be a problem. Especially if you know it's in a repressive state.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-11-26 12:17am

Ever think that the couple may have been doing it just to provoke questioning about the stupidity of the law?

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-26 12:18am

Doubtful. That's been done before.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2002-11-26 12:21am

This remindes me of when George Michael was arrested in a public toilet for engaging in a similar act. For a long time, I had no idea what to think of him, I mean the fact that he is gay didn't bother me in the slightest, but the doing it in the public toilets? I mean come on, I could have very easily walked in on that, or indeed an underage boy, and I felt that it was wrong.

However. Following an interview he gave on the Parkinson show, it put it all into perspective;

GM: Tell me that if you were in the toilet and a beautiful woman opened the cubical and was 'playing' with herself and asked you to join in, would you walk away?

After that, well I guess it put it all into perspective.

Newtonian Fury · Post by **Newtonian Fury** » 2002-11-26 12:31am

Are they penalized more harshly than straight couples fucking in public? Yes. That's bigotry right there. They should be arrested, fined, and/or jailed for the same amount as a guy and girl doing it in public. Any different treatment would suggest an intolerant law. A crime for sodomy? Geez...

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-11-26 12:33am

Newtonian Fury wrote:Are they penalized more harshly than straight couples fucking in public? Yes. That's bigotry right there. They should be arrested, fined, and/or jailed for the same amount as a guy and girl doing it in public. Any different treatment would suggest an intolerant law. A crime for sodomy? Geez...

Not a crime. It's a fucking felony for Christ's sake!

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-26 12:34am

A felony is a type of crime.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2002-11-26 12:36am

Durran Korr wrote:A felony is a type of crime.

Misdemeanors are another type of crime too!

God knows, I Know ALL about this shite...

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-11-26 12:36am

Well yeah, but it's also of a higher degree, which is what I was trying to point out.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-11-26 12:37am

Point taken. Above post was just FYI.

Kamakazie Sith · Post by **Kamakazie Sith** » 2002-11-26 12:44am

Darth Wong wrote:Interesting. They don't just charge them with indecent exposure, the way they would if they were heterosexuals doing the same thing. No, they charge them with the "crime" of sodomy, which carries heavier jail terms.

They do that because the charge of indecent exposure isn't working it's not serious enough, so they are attempting a different solution one with heavier consequences. I don't believe they are simply charging them with that because they are gay.