Date: Tue, 24 Jan 1995 18:28:12 +0100
From: berts@xs4all.nl (Bert Schuur)

Published on 22-01-1995

Subject: Amsterdam decides against policy on cruising areas.

No areas to be designated for gay sexcontacts.

Amsterdam city council refuses to designate specific areas for
gay cruising. The council reacted to recommendations made by a
studygroup consisting of Amsterdam civil servants and repre-
sentatives of gay movements. In their report the group among
other things asks for the investigation into where cruising
areas are located, their size etc and considers merely tolera-
ting gay cruising not a good option. Instead city council
should develop a consistent policy with regard to cruising.
When making plans on how to use specific public areas, gay
cruising should explicitly be made one of the options.
Other recommendations are that public lavatories, the suc-
cessors to the famous Amsterdam "krullen", should be large
enough for two persons to stand in at a time, and demolition
of or moving a public lavatory should only be done after first
consulting the COC (national Dutch gay movement) or a local
gay organisation. Hedges, trees and bushes should not be cut
too short so that gay men can have sex without being seen. The
study group calls cutting bushes too rigurously an example of
gay-unfriendly behaviour by the city councils civil servants,
who very often show little mercy for or understanding of this
"alternative usage" of the undergrowth. Alas, city council did
not agree with the findings in the report and instead voiced
the opinion that the safety for all users of public spaces is
more important than the protection of the activities of a few.

***