After 14 gay men got arrested and charged with indecent exposure in the infamous Warm Sands sex sting, a bunch of gays threatened to boycott Palm Springs. But the local newspaper reports that no such boycott ever happened, which is good because it was a stupid idea to begin with.
While some locals have reported a decline in gay patrons, it could have more to do with the current season and crappy economy more than a coordinated boycott. But even though the police targeted gay men seeking sex in public, punishing gay-friendly businesses would have done nothing to reform law enforcement. On the contrary, the decrease in tourist dollars would have made it even harder for local LGBT groups and residents to mobilize action against police harassment of queers.
Instead of a boycott, a better solution would have been to specifically invest dollars into local LGBT groups while encouraging them to address this issue with the police and city council. Creating an LGBT liaison in the police department and city council would open up inroads for greater dialogue and cooperation with the queer community while creating awareness about the important economic influence we queers have over the city.
Two birds, one stone. Plus, it’s so much better to help heal something you love instead of just abandoning it.
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Riker
I don’t see anything wrong with the sex sting. Nobody has the right to have sex in public, so I don’t get why people were upset over this.
Spike
@Riker:
Agreed, for gawd sake, the Warm Sands area is sleazy enough inside the resorts, why those horny guys have to do it in the bushes and not take it inside the resorts, go figure.
BTW, what boycott? More like a failed Queerty boycott.
Peter K
Gsys boycotting Palm Springs – LOL, it’s estimated that about 60% of Palm Springs homes are gay owned. Agree with you both above. We live in the east coast with a vacation home in Palm Springs and the Warm Sands area is kind of tragic to anyone who has been there. We’ve never had issues with the police here as they are quite gay-friendly based on our experiences. The best remedy for unwanted arrest is not soliciting sex in public. I cannot stand to ride our bikes on the bike path through the local park and see the parked cars of gay men trying to hook up, that’s what Craiglist and the internet is for guys!