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There’s a “deadlock” over pruning back overgrown bushes in an area known as Avon Gorge located in Bristol, England.

The reason why the Bristol City Council has put on hold pruning the bushes and clearing away the overgrowth? Apparently gay groups claim it would be discriminatory to the men who use the area known as Circular Road for “dogging”.

Rather than just pruning back the bushes, a report was commissioned by the Downs Committee. In the report a recommendation by the Council’s Rainbow Group–council employees who are lesbian, gay and bisexual–the employees claimed cutting the overgrowth and pruning the bushes would be “discriminatory” to the gay men who use the area for sex trysts.

“As part of the consultation, concerns were expressed by the council’s Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Group (and a small number of other consultees) that this action was potentially discriminating against gay and bisexual men, whose activities on this part of the Downs were objected to by other members of the local community and Downs users.”

While this may seem a bit silly, the gay discrimination issue landed four firemen in hot water. Each was fined £1,000 and transferred to other fire stations after they shined their flashlights into the area “disturbing a gay sex session”.

Some outrage was expressed after three men were arrested for “lewd behavior” at a popular gay cruising spot known as the Meat Rack on Fire Island, New York. Here’s a link to a protest sign made in response to the men’s arrest with the warning that it’s NSFW!

While the British gays claim this would be discrimination against gay men who use the overgrown area for gay trysts–plus the outrage over the three men arrested for lewd behavior on Fire Island–they should be thankful they’re not in Dubai.

Police acting on a tip raided the hotel in Ghantout, a desert region on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway, and found a dozen men dressed as female brides and a dozen others in male Arab dress, apparently preparing for a ceremony that would join them as husbands and wives, Azouri said.

“It was a real party with balloons and champagne,” he said.

In 2005, 26 Arab men were arrested after police raided a gay “wedding” in Dubai. The men faced up to five years in prison, lashings, and forced hormone treatments. A far different scenario than the cries of discrimination by gays in Bristol, England, who claim pruning back the bushes or shining flashlights on men engaged in sex is discrimination.

We agree with the head of Parks in Bristol, Peter Wilkinson, regarding the overgrown bushes:

“The general public are unhappy about people taking part in lewd behaviour in public spaces, whether it’s between men and women or people of the same sex.

“One day in the near future, there will be no one left to protest; no one left to file a lawsuit against: everyone will have become a victim.”
–RE Bierce

Lewd behavior is lewd behavior, whether it’s being exhibited by gay, straight, bi, or whatever. The claim of discrimination, at least in our opinion, is ridiculous. But then again, the firemen found out the hard way, that in Bristol, UK, shining a flashlight on men screwing in the bushes on public property is a violation of “doggers” rights.

So much for the men in uniform who put their lives on the line every day to save lives and property: the firemen–the real men in Bristol–are the brave boys doing it in the bushes.

By LBG

Source - Queerty - Lewd Conduct Arrests on Fire Island
Source - MSNBC - Arab Gays Face hormone treatment, prison
Image - Gay Rest Stop