Two dozen Alabama men have been nabbed for alleged sexual misconduct:
Huntsville police officers charged 24 suspects as part of a week-long undercover sting at the scenic overlook atop Monte Sano Mountain.
Police officials said the investgation [sic] began response to complaints from citizens about male
homosexual activity that witnesses said had taken place at one of Huntsville’s most scenic sites.During the investigation, officers obtained warrants for 22 alleged offenders and arrested two people at the overlook.
This news source – WAAY TV – goes on to list every single person arrested and includes their pictures. Ain’t that sweet?
Woof
Yikes and they are all CREEP-E looking.
ChicagoJimmy
They’re not creepy, just small town. Queers come in all shapes and sizes. You shouldn’t judge. I feel sorry for these fellows for living in such an ass-backwards town. No where else to go to find a hook-up I imagine.
Olive Yurdich
These people need to get a clue. A $100 motel room is a heck of a lot cheaper than $500 bond and attorney fees. Better yet, sign on to Manhunt, wait till the wife leaves for work, and go to it at home.
Charley
Looks like they rounded up all the toe tapping Republicans in town.
On a serious note, this public exposure could cause suicides in this little town. Very wrong of the newspaper.
CitizenGeek
Good enough for them. Lewd conduct in a public place ain’t right, so those that engage in it deserve to be fined and shamed.
daniel k
you guys are quick to judge, but i live in mobile and there is NO WHERE for people to meet if you aren’t young and white. the south is like a third world country. yes there are clubs here,(2), but like i said if you aren’t young and white you might as well be a potted plant.
Charley
CitizenGreek,
Some could be innocent, just enjoying the view.
Most Alabama towns are run by Judge Moore (10 Kommandments) – Morbidly obese Jerry Falwell types.
Seth
Huntsville has a population of around 200,000 and the Huntsville-Decatur CSA is over 500,000. It’s not really that small of a town. It’s also an important city in military defense, space exploration, engineering, and computer technology. There’s also a small, but vibrant gay community, and a much bigger, and much more diverse/vibrant community in Birmingham, just an hour and twenty minutes south of Huntsville.
That said, it’s still a very conservative place, and it appears that quite a few of these men came from smaller towns in the surrounding area. It’s sad that these men have to suffer this public humiliation, as many of them probably turned to this because they felt they couldn’t live their lives openly and honestly.
Brian
I’m more upset about the coverage than the cases themselves. If any of these alleged people are found to be innocent, I wonder if the television station will publish their names and pictures in a story clearing them. You are innocent until proven guilty, except in the media!
michael
Back in the 80’s I lived in Nashville, Tennessee and the police would run sting operations in public parks and lakeside areas.
They would also publish the peoples names that were arrested. I guess to southerners its not a bad thing cause thats the kind of shit they do in church, throw out the names of the town sinners from the pulpit. With a few exceptions the south is an extremely backward place and the deeper you go into it the creepier it becomes.
Distingué Traces
Aw, man …
I think guys who keep acting like this in the big cities have no self-respect and are pathetic, but c’mon … one of these guys is 84! He doesn’t know how to find a boyfriend on the internet! He’s been living in this miserable, furtive way for decades, and it’s all he has.
CHURCHILL-Y
Sick and tired of these hypocritical tactics employed by some states, it’s also a daily ocurrence adjacent FL where peoples mug shots are also shown in newspapers. Meanwhile heteros if found doing the same thing get a slap in wrist at best.
Markus
No. 10: Michael couldn’t have said it better. That atmosphere still exists in the south and even around the larger cities.
Charley
Is this a public toilet venue, or outdoor sex? Not that it matters much. Can’t imagine meeting another person in a public place for something so personal and intimate. It’s better meeting online, but maybe these guys don’t have computers.
Geoffrey
Brokeback is alive and well in 2008.
Offensive
Here is their email: you should send a message [email protected] This is what I sent:
WAAY news team:
I find your coverage of the arrests of Gay men on Monte Sano mountain to be as horrendous and inhuman as the arrests themselves. I grew up in Huntsville, and could tell you stories about harassment and hate crimes (including hate crimes by HPD officers) that would make your hair stand on end. I was shot at — with a rifle — as a teen, for just hanging out with other Gay youth at a popular meeting spot, downtown.
That in 2008, in Hunstville, where my family has spent over 40 years contributing to the cultural life of the city, that this sort of harassment of gay people is not only allowed, but celebrated by WAAY TV, with mug shots of the people accused and arrested, is simply astonishing, and very tragic. WAAY should be ashamed of itself. I am ashamed to be associated with Huntsville, by virtue of this reporting, in the 21st century.
Monte Sano is famous for its place in the amorous histories of so many people in Huntsville. It is where virtually everyone I know had their 1st taste of, well, “automotive-based” romance. To single-out Gays for harassment in this place is simply a hate crime. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
This quote from your insulting and poorly written story says it all: “Police officials said they will continue to want all locations in Huntsville that have been on an ongoing basis for criminal and immoral activities.” It makes Huntsville — a historically progressive and inspiring city that shows Alabama is not the racist place it is portrayed to be — as a redneck, illiterate hell-hole. How dare you.
Mike
I don’t really think their behavior causes any really harm to society…though I can understand a little the people who don’t want dudes jacking off or whatever at places kids might be running around. But what freaked me out even more than the station posting the pics was that they become registered sex offenders. Consenting adults registering as sex offenders. I wonder what that means in Alabama?
Mike
d’oh. sorry bout the typo
Offensive
This is not a place where kids hang around — unless you are talking about kids looking for sex. It is the infamous overlook, as portrayed in countless motion pictures. It is an innocent place where innocent people have always parked for a little “amore.” That in the 21st century these hoodlum cops are arresting these poor souls for nothing more than that — and a local ABC affiliate is an accessory to the crime — I am just horrified and so should all LGTB people.
Offensive
Also please note that WAAY is the ABC affiliate in Huntsville — not FOX tv, though you wouldn’t know from their coverage.
Ian J UK
And this pushed the death of five, yes count them five people into second story, says a lot about the anti-gay attitude of the police and people of the Southern states.
I alway thought the ‘law enforcement’ down South were perverts but this takes the cake..Probably got something to do with either the mayor or chief of police getting a dose of crabs off their boy friend.
michael
Thanks Offensive, you reminded me that straight people have sex outdoors and in cars as well, and I also agree that as long as children are not being subjected then whats the real harm? I live in Vancouver B.C. where we have public nude beaches and some of them have small “gay” enclaves and men do pair off and visit the woods to get to know each other a little better. For most people here its just considered funny and stuff jokes are made of. But nobody goes off calling it “immoral”. Thats always the problem in this world. Where there is heavy duty religion you will find heavy duty oppression, shame and abuse of people. Religion is destroying this planet on every level.
TJ
It is still illegal to have sex in public… whether you are gay or straight… we need to stop playing the “poor me” card… Instead of going into the woods for that anonymous blow job why don’t you work on changing the system so there are places for gay guys to go.
Kevin M
Way to put it, TJ! I agree with you.
Uhhh
TJ, Kevin, have you seen the movie American Graffiti? By your code (and that of your lovely contemporaries at the Huntsville Police Department) the cruising in cars and parking to make out (way back in the 21950’s) should result in people’s arrest and public humiliation. Hey there is a President in Iran probably looking to hire you two to join his morals squad.
Sean
I’m sorry but the gay men posting comments who aren’t sympathetic to the Huntsville ‘suspects’ are complete jerks. The police and the press would never do this to straight couples. These poor men are being demonized and having their civil rights violated.
Update
The good folks at GLAAD were at least able to convince the local TV station to remove the home addresses of those arrested. But not the mug shots — at least yet.
John
I am appalled at the fact that consenting adults will be required to register as sex offenders for having sex in a public place. A ticket for public lewdness or indecency should suffice. Sex Offender registry is getting out of control. It seems like it is used as a catch all when it comes to anything that can be viewed as sexual in nature…Weighing down the registry with unecessary individuals only complicates matters and leads to mass histeria. It should be used for an actual “Offender” (i.e. criminal sexual conduct against another individual). Just my .02
Emily
Well, I have to say that through all your speculating, there are two very important details.
I work with two of the men arrested and you should know something about each of them.
Guy #1 is incredibly flamboyant, very open about his orientation and it wasn’t a surprise to any of us that he was a part of this story.
Guy #2 actually got caught with a woman, but the story clearly makes it seem like every man was caught in homosexual activity which was completely untrue and almost ruined his reputation in more than one way. Everyone was very upset about this one, and the news report was incredibly misleading.
So really, it was pretty crappy what the news media did, but let’s not forget that all of them did break the law :/
felts
they had themselves a lemonparty
Brian
It is good to hear from someone who knows these folks. However, there is a technical difference between being arrested and being found guilty. These are suspects, not convicts. There really isn’t any justice when the media convicts and sentences(to a public shaming) people before the courts do their job. It would still be crappy, but it would be different, if this story reported convictions. I doubt that if anyone is found to be innocent that their photo and contact information would be included in a story clearing their name.
Randy
Does anyone else find it hilarious that when you go to view the mugshots, there is an ad that says: “Have you shared this picture yet?” And then there are check boxes for Mom, Dad and Grandma, as suggestions of people to send it to? Is that the cool thing to do in Alabama? “Hey Grandma, check out this mugshot…”
Emily
Just for an update… both the guys I know were fired.
dfrw
My first piece of advice: get a lawyer.
My second piece of advice: stopping having sex in public. Think craigslist.org and your private residence.
My third piece of advice is more a question: why are you still living some god-awful place like Alabama? I hear the sounds of Deliverance ringing in my ears.
The whole south is like another country and a frightening one at that.
arthuray
do not judge the south by 24 unfortunate men. there is a good reason down here for not celebrating homosexuality like i see so many of you do. pathetic really.And if you dont know the reason , that is exactly why you are pathetic. No offense my ignorant citizens, but laws are on the books for good reason.
texas ex
Why would any gay person actually live in a place like that? I guess it messes you up so bad that you get shame and sex all confused. If all the gay people would just leave the crappy deep south, then maybe these crummy places will find out what it’s like to lose that important segment of the population.
Daniel
I too know two of the guys that were on the list. There are certainly other venues in Huntsville for guys looking for sex, trust me on that one. Being a gay man myself I know this. I think it’s horrible that their lives are being ruined because of this, especially since they have both lost their jobs. In a rather odd coincidence I think I might know the two that Emily knows (see the previous comments). The fact that this is an election year is one reason this happened. The other is because they were stupid enough to go have sex on the f*ing mountain. There are plenty of other places available and legal. So while I feel bad for these men, I also feel little sympathy, since part of the draw of public sex is that you have a chance to get caught. They should have known better, sorry if that sounds callous, but it’s the truth.
thoroughly disgusted
i find this horrible!!! I have also lived in vancouver bc and have cruised many parks without prosecution. i now live in england and find many parks here that can be cruised as well. why is this such a huge deal in this town?? — i think it is the ass-backwards thinking of the law. not only did a police officer involved say that ‘indecent acts will be prosecuted’ he also refered to the acts as ‘immoral’. he clearly has an issue with homos and it disgusts me that people think like this in 2008. sure….arrest and fine them, but publically shame them and taking a cheap shot at all gays is wrong.
i also thought that u could have sex in a public place as long as you can ‘reasonably’ expcet that you are in private.
Sara
I personally know two people on that list. I know their stories and would ask that everyone else who reads this reserve their judgment until a conviction is made in court.
AllyCat6974
Hello all. I actually live in Huntsville and I was Disgusted by the way that the gays were treated in this situation. I can’t even begin to count the many times I have hooked up at the scenic overlook because it is a popular spot for teens and young adults to “hook up”. As a matter of fact, the last time I was up there about 2 weeks ago, a policeman passed by and waved. Yes waved! So I think that the HPD totally disgusts me and they should not pick on gays or lesbians, they are people too.
Hahahaha
If the idiots werent out in public at a popular place to visit, its their own damn fault. I bet if some guy and a girl started having sex in a public place they would be arrested also. Theres plenty of places much more private near there also, why go to a known place that has a history of busts like this? They have been setting up stings like this for years and the morons still insist on pushing thier luck, they deserve everything they get.
capnpip
I agree with SOME of these comments, to an EXTENT. The lookout on Monte Sano is a well known place to fool around. I’ve received a few BJ’s there myself. At night. In my car. This incident happened on a picnic table at a pavilion adjacent to the playground frequented by small children, during the broad daylight, only 10 feet from a very much used hiking trail. I’ve done things out-of-doors in daylight, but usually out about a mile in the forest, behind some concealing rocks, not on a table next to a child’s hangout. That is what made this sick and deranged, not that it was men on men. I see most people who are arrested for sex crimes (not pedophiles) have their pictures on the news, most of them straight… some locals have selective memory loss on that score. The showcasing of names/pictures had nothing to do with being gay, I saw pictures and names of 19 year old’s pulled over for DUI on the news, nothing to do with sex. Some of you need to know all the facts before you flame the “ignorant, rednecks”
Wondering
My Dad was arrested and not only was this how my family and mother found out he was gay but it was a major news story at the time about 10 years ago. He was arrested on Monte Sano Mountain also. As the grown son of a gay man outed in this way does anyone not think of the damage done to the family involved? Waiting for the wife to go to work and have a gay affair at your house from someone you met on manhunt? Disgusting. I actually do not blame the media in this or even my dad’s case. I just cannot forgive my dad for what he did to us. Next time you think anon sex is hot and no one gets hurt think again.
kenny
you are good.@Offensive:
bamaboy_21
@Olive Yurdich: Hey i always do the hotel room myself…..btw i actually knew one of the guys …he used to work with me
what the fuck
What the fuck? Why are these people being arrested? And why would they live in a place like that? Fucking KKK members have nothing better to do but to harass gays.
what the fuck
@Wondering: You’re an asshole. Yes, your dad was wrong for cheating. He should have divorced your mom and kept things simple. But it isn’t wrong to be gay, you fucking bigot. You’re a dumb retard and you should be neutered.
getreal
What is this Iran?!! Why are my tax dollars being wasted on this b*llshit? Since conservatives are so angry about taxes why don’t they complain about THESE stings and their WASTE of tax payer money persecuting gay people!!!!!
LionWoods
you don’t need to worry about what police are or aren’t doing if you’re not doing anything illegal, do you?