Five Men Say California Cops Targeted Them ‘Gay Stg Operatn’

Contents:

• HILLSBOROUGH’S SHERIFF PUBLICIZED A SEX STG. DID TARGET GAY MEN?
• THE HANDSOME UNRVER P S. IS HE ENTRAPPG GAY MEN OR CLEANG UP A PARK?
• JUDGE SLAMS GAY SEX STGS BY LONG BEACH POLICE, LLG THEM DISCRIMATORY
• FIVE MEN SAY CALIFORNIA COPS TARGETED THEM ‘GAY STG OPERATN’HORRIBLETHE MEN ARE SUG THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY TARGETG THEM FOR BEG GAY, SOLICG SEX, AND THEN ARRTG THEM.EIE PLSETUPDATED NOV. 29, 2017 7:28PM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 29, 2017 7:30PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTFIVE MEN FILED A CLASS-ACTN LAWSU EARLIER THIS MONTH CLAIMG THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT UNFAIRLY TARGETED THEM FOR BEG GAY DURG STG OPERATNS 2014 AND 2015.THE MEN, WHO ARE REPRENTED BY LGBTQ RIGHTS ATTORNEY BCE NICKERSON, ALLEGE THAT UNRVER POLICE OFFICERS SOLICED THEM FOR SEX OUTSI A PUBLIC PARK BATHROOM, BELIEVED TO BE A SEXUAL MEET-UP SPOT FOR GAY MEN. THE MEN CLAIM THAT THEY WERE ARRTED EVEN IF THEY REFED THE UNRVER PS’ ADVANC, ON CHARG OF LOERG AROUND A TOILET. POLICE SAID THEY STIGATED THE UNRVER STGS RPONSE TO CIZEN PLATS OF LEWD NDUCT THE PARK.A JUDGE, HOWEVER, FOUND THE STG OPERATNS TO BE DISCRIMATORY LAST YEAR AND DISMISSED THE LEWD NDUCT CHARG AGAST SIX MEN, CLUDG THE FIVE VOLVED THE LAWSU. NOW THE MEN ARE SEEKG $1 LN DAMAG.“THE CLAIM THAT THIS VTIGATIVE FOC WAS DRIVEN BY PLATS IS MIMALLY SUPPORTED BY THE EVINCE PRENTED, PECIALLY AS RELAT TO THE PARK,” JUDGE JOSE FRAN LED AT THE TIME, NOTG THAT POLICE HAD RECEIVED ONLY ONE DOCUMENTED CIZEN PLAT. “UNPOPULAR GROUPS HAVE TOO OFTEN BEEN MA TO BEAR THE BNT OF DISCRIMATORY PROSECUTN OR SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT.” THE CY OF SAN JOSE DID NOT RPOND TO REQUTS FOR MENT BY PRS TIME.DANIEL BUFANO, ONE OF THE PLATIFFS, CLAIMS THE SU THAT AN UNRVER POLICE OFFICER ASKED HIM TO ENGAGE ORAL SEX THE BATHROOM. WHEN BUFANO CLED, TWO OTHER UNRVER OFFICERS ALLEGEDLY FORCIBLY SEARCHED HIM. THEY BERATED HIM FOR BEG GAY, ACRDG TO THE SU, TOLD HIM HE WAS A TERRIBLE PERSON, AND WARNED HIM AGAST RETURNG THE THE PARK. HE SAYS HE WAS THEN ARRTED FOR LOERG AROUND A TOILET.JOHN FERGON, ANOTHER PLATIFF, SAYS HE WAS ARRTED WHILE TRYG TO LEAVE THE BATHROOM AFTER FLIRTG WH AN UNRVER P. FERGON TRIED LEAVG THE BATHROOM BEE HE DID NOT WANT “TO ENGAGE SEXUAL NDUCT” THERE, ACRDG TO THE SU, BUT THE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY BLOCKED HIM OM LEAVG. ANOTHER OFFICER THEN APPEARED AND ARRTED HIM. SAN JOSE POLICE TOLD THE MERCURY NEWS THAT THEY END THE STG OPERATNS TWO YEARS AGO AFTER THEY WERE FIRST OBJECTED TO URT. EIE PLSET
• UNRVER POLICE STGS AGAST GAY MEN ENDURE, SPE CRICISM

HILLSBOROUGH’S SHERIFF PUBLICIZED A SEX STG. DID TARGET GAY MEN?

There was no web se eher, the world wi web was s fancy, so the vios were marketed via advertisg Gay Tim and other publitns.

It was still dark days Bra and adult material had to be certified by the BBFC and 18 certifite gay adult films still weren’t even allowed to pict a male erectn. The then-45-year-old star had been crossg over to actg and recently played a bisexual character the film The the followg pag are a few of our favore quot om that terview, acpanied by photos of his set on Advote:When you did your gay sex scen The Grotque, did you feel anythg for the other actor sexually? So I suppose we're gay Advote: Have you heard the joke "Is he gay or jt Brish?

I haven't had a gay relatnship -- although I do have very close, lovg relatnships wh the men I work wh, other micians. Stg: Well, thanks to the gay muny, we men n actually follow our feelgs and monstrate our affectns for each other whout beg aaid. Unls a gay guy stabbed one of the fai, then we’re talkg about unseemly behavr.

THE HANDSOME UNRVER P S. IS HE ENTRAPPG GAY MEN OR CLEANG UP A PARK?

But when we’re talkg about gay people havg sex, straight people’s heads explo. Snyr didn’t even notice that there’s no direct nnectn between safety and accintally seeg gay sex, ’s jt that gay sex is terrible and disgtg so clearly people will be srred for life if they see .

JUDGE SLAMS GAY SEX STGS BY LONG BEACH POLICE, LLG THEM DISCRIMATORY

But then the goal is to arrt gay men and put fill up sex offenr registri (bee men who have sex wh adults and go to seclud areas to do clearly should not be allowed to live near schools or hold jobs). Crics ask if the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is crimalizg gay sex. [ Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office]Sheriff’s spokwoman Crystal Clark fend the operatn as way of protectg children and said accatns that the stg was prejudiced agast gay men “are absurd, and que ankly, offensive.

Defense attorney Jam Amarosa, who has reprented several men acced such s, put bluntly: “I believe they’re targetg homosexual men. To her, appears that the Sheriff’s Office is targetg certa lotns, regardls of who’s havg sex there, rather than gay ncerns her that the operatns were nducted whout any plats om the public. ”• • •It has been more than six s sce Florida’s famo Johns Commtee targeted Black people, munists and gay men a McCarthye asslt on the civil rights movement om 1956-65.

Havg officers go unrver to target cisg — which men pick each other up for sex public — was a major aspect of those anti-gay efforts, cludg those by the Johns and raids targetg the LGBTQ muny cled the late 20th century, Stewart-Wter said — particular, police stopped raidg gay bars the face of public cricism. ”Durg the mid-century heyday of anti-gay policg, Stewart-Wter said, teachers and profsors arrted the stgs were often sgled out for particularly harsh public shamg, due to the myth that gay men pose a particular threat to said Chronister’s foc on the safety of children furthers that false and pernic stereotype.

FIVE MEN SAY CALIFORNIA COPS TARGETED THEM ‘GAY STG OPERATN’HORRIBLETHE MEN ARE SUG THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR ALLEGEDLY TARGETG THEM FOR BEG GAY, SOLICG SEX, AND THEN ARRTG THEM.EIE PLSETUPDATED NOV. 29, 2017 7:28PM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 29, 2017 7:30PM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTFIVE MEN FILED A CLASS-ACTN LAWSU EARLIER THIS MONTH CLAIMG THE SAN JOSE POLICE DEPARTMENT UNFAIRLY TARGETED THEM FOR BEG GAY DURG STG OPERATNS 2014 AND 2015.THE MEN, WHO ARE REPRENTED BY LGBTQ RIGHTS ATTORNEY BCE NICKERSON, ALLEGE THAT UNRVER POLICE OFFICERS SOLICED THEM FOR SEX OUTSI A PUBLIC PARK BATHROOM, BELIEVED TO BE A SEXUAL MEET-UP SPOT FOR GAY MEN. THE MEN CLAIM THAT THEY WERE ARRTED EVEN IF THEY REFED THE UNRVER PS’ ADVANC, ON CHARG OF LOERG AROUND A TOILET. POLICE SAID THEY STIGATED THE UNRVER STGS RPONSE TO CIZEN PLATS OF LEWD NDUCT THE PARK.A JUDGE, HOWEVER, FOUND THE STG OPERATNS TO BE DISCRIMATORY LAST YEAR AND DISMISSED THE LEWD NDUCT CHARG AGAST SIX MEN, CLUDG THE FIVE VOLVED THE LAWSU. NOW THE MEN ARE SEEKG $1 LN DAMAG.“THE CLAIM THAT THIS VTIGATIVE FOC WAS DRIVEN BY PLATS IS MIMALLY SUPPORTED BY THE EVINCE PRENTED, PECIALLY AS RELAT TO THE PARK,” JUDGE JOSE FRAN LED AT THE TIME, NOTG THAT POLICE HAD RECEIVED ONLY ONE DOCUMENTED CIZEN PLAT. “UNPOPULAR GROUPS HAVE TOO OFTEN BEEN MA TO BEAR THE BNT OF DISCRIMATORY PROSECUTN OR SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT.” THE CY OF SAN JOSE DID NOT RPOND TO REQUTS FOR MENT BY PRS TIME.DANIEL BUFANO, ONE OF THE PLATIFFS, CLAIMS THE SU THAT AN UNRVER POLICE OFFICER ASKED HIM TO ENGAGE ORAL SEX THE BATHROOM. WHEN BUFANO CLED, TWO OTHER UNRVER OFFICERS ALLEGEDLY FORCIBLY SEARCHED HIM. THEY BERATED HIM FOR BEG GAY, ACRDG TO THE SU, TOLD HIM HE WAS A TERRIBLE PERSON, AND WARNED HIM AGAST RETURNG THE THE PARK. HE SAYS HE WAS THEN ARRTED FOR LOERG AROUND A TOILET.JOHN FERGON, ANOTHER PLATIFF, SAYS HE WAS ARRTED WHILE TRYG TO LEAVE THE BATHROOM AFTER FLIRTG WH AN UNRVER P. FERGON TRIED LEAVG THE BATHROOM BEE HE DID NOT WANT “TO ENGAGE SEXUAL NDUCT” THERE, ACRDG TO THE SU, BUT THE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY BLOCKED HIM OM LEAVG. ANOTHER OFFICER THEN APPEARED AND ARRTED HIM. SAN JOSE POLICE TOLD THE MERCURY NEWS THAT THEY END THE STG OPERATNS TWO YEARS AGO AFTER THEY WERE FIRST OBJECTED TO URT. EIE PLSET

Neher of the parks targeted “Operatn Park Cleanup” has said she saw the sheriff’s language as fuelg prejudice agast gay men.

A nvictn of an “unnatural and lasciv act” is nsired a send-gree mismeanor and is punishable by up to 60 days jail and a $500 discsg the circumstanc surroundg the Operatn Park Hopper arrts laid out the statement, Lambda Legal Director of Constutnal Ligatn San Sommer told NBC Out “entrapment is fely a law enforcement tool ed agast gay men.

UNRVER POLICE STGS AGAST GAY MEN ENDURE, SPE CRICISM

“They round up gay men and then do this really horrendo public shamg where they prt their mug shots and their nam and their ag and the towns where they live, ” Sommer said. ”“The ernment n certaly outlaw public sex, but mt take re to enforce such bans wh nstutnal lims, ” said Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern, a gay journalist who has wrten on gay sex stgs the past. “When law enforcement officers target gay men for no apparent reason other than their sexual orientatn, they n the risk of nng afoul of basic equal protectn prcipl.

”Stern poted to a prev se Long Beach, Calif., where a urt threw out the nvictn of a gay man who had been arrted for cisg, bee was led that the police partment had acted on unnstutnal “anim toward homosexuals. ”“Put simply, is not at all clear that the Volia County Sheriff remaed wh nstutnal boundari his zeal to arrt, imprison and huiate the men, ” Stern of the men arrted Operatn Park Hopper were middle-aged or olr, which Sommer speculated uld be ditive of generatnal differenc between olr and younger gay men.

Larry Craig, R-Idaho, a men's rtroom at the Mneapolis airport for allegedly lookg to engage gay sex wrote his June report that he "regnized a signal ed by persons wishg to engage lewd nduct.