We weren’t able to stop by Manworks.com’s live erotic massage “exhibit” in the storefront window of NYC’s Blue Store. But apparently New York’s finest was. And they didn’t like what they saw.
Manworks director Daniel Lee says there wasn’t any nakedness or lewd-ity going on Friday night, but the NYPD didn’t care; officers who happened by the window ordered it shut down. What is this, Rudy Giuliani’s NYC?
“It was a stunning attraction, small groups of onlookers gazed in awe and delight while the masseur Gio worked on the body of a handsome fellow,” relays Manworks’ publicist. “As one cop car drove by without stopping, it seemed the window would be able go on unscathed by police disruption; however, not an hour and a half into the live demonstration did another police car arrive. One officer demanded the window be shut down. When asked “Why?” by Daniel Lee, Manwork.com’s director, the policeman could only vaguely claim that a permit was needed to have such a window display and for causing sidewalk obstructing attention. Pressed further, he could not exactly cite what law the window was allegedly violating. Other attempts to engage the officer in discussion was met with a curt, ‘Do you even work here? Shut this down NOW!’ Lee halted the window to get legal counsel before deciding whether or not to defy the police, who by then drove off. Why should the window have been stopped? There was no nudity, no simulated sex, nothing lewd. Does Macys’ need a permit for their Christmas windows when tourists and other onlookers jam up 34th Street? Would Manworks.com’s Dutch window been shut down if it were a hetero pairing? What was illegal? A man touching another man? It appears so, doesn’t it.”
Geez, can’t a dude get a public oily rub-down in this town anymore?
Keith Kimmel
Sounds like Mayor Bloomberg strikes again.
RS
Why do cops always get to invent charges without any statutory basis? Even when charges are almost always inevitably dismissed, the damn cop still gets his way and never gets so much as a reprimand for making shit up.
Don’t get me wrong, a lot of police officers are dedicated to serving public safety at the risk of their own lives. But some are power-hungry thugs who’d be criminals if they didn’t end up having a badge first.
jason
A lot of New Yorkers are terrified of the erotic male-male interaction. Even those in Greenwich Village. Liberalism is built on the notion of segregating the male-male erotic interaction away from the mainstream, to make it invisible.
scott ny'er
the challenge here is, to have 2 scantily clad, sexy women doing the same thing and see the reaction.
If the dude wore pants and a shirt, I think there would be less of a situation.
Desdemona
this never would’ve happened if it were two women.
me
i had a feeling something would go wrong the day i heard about this. it may be nyc but it’s still ‘MERIKUH, not no amsterdam
Jacqui Smith
I knew something would go wrong the day I heard about this. It may be NYC but it’s still ‘MERIKUH, not no Amsterdam.
Brian Stout
What a brilliant piece of marketing. I say get a hold of one of these mysterious permits and do it again.
Republican
A bunch of gays should get together and hold a mass massage party in public to protest.