Straight men just as likely to commit lewd public acts

Editor,

I find it amusing that the first article to raise my ire to write a letter pertains to public gay sex. But what would one expect when he reads such a frivolous and non-newsworthy article on the front page of a university newspaper? Clearly, it is a tasteless spin-off of the Sen. Larry Craig scandal, because apparently, we can't read enough about raunchy, gay, public sex. In order to move newspapers we have to rehash the same stories.

Expectedly, the heteronormative bias of the article and its writer reveals itself in the very first sentence: "Among the obscenities scribbled on the stalls in bathrooms around campus, you may find something you didn't expect - sexual solicitations from gay men."

Instead of talking about the used condoms and spent lube containers, let us visit research on the matter. Research shows that not all men who engage in homosexual activities in public restrooms are gay. In fact, the ground-breaking study on the topic - Tearoom Trade by Laud Humphreys - found just the opposite. He found that men engaging in sexual acts are not moral degenerates and crazed sex fiends, but rather come from all walks of life.

Humphreys confirmed that more than 50 percent of his subjects were outwardly heterosexual men with unsuspecting wives at home. The major discovery of his research was the disconnect between the private and public selves in many of the men engaging in this activity. Specifically, they put on a "breastplate of righteousness" in an attempt to hide their "deviance" to ensure they are not exposed. Sound familiar? It should.

Even though his study was conducted in the late 1960s, his findings are echoed by the recent scandal involving Craig. Craig was busted in a sex sting operation similar to those performed all over the country. His outside persona - one of high moral caliber and social conservatism - was obliterated by the accusation of soliciting a male undercover officer for sex. As to be expected, he immediately responded, "I am

not gay."

Stings such as this one are happening all over. Last month, a similar sting in Farmington resulted in the arrest of 14 men and removal of trees from a public park. As these busts continue to occur, fueled by articles like Jeremy Hunt's, we revert back to dangerous stereotypes of gay men being lust-driven sex fiends. I have already heard the jokes - men commenting on how they avoid going to the bathroom out of fear of being solicited by gay men.

If the media insists on further exploiting gay sex to garner front-page attention, I think we should be more accurate about who is actually involved. The first sentence should read, "Among the obscenities scribbled on the stalls in bathrooms around campus, you may find something you didn't expect - sexual solicitations from self-identified-straight, socially conservative men who publicly inflate their own moral superiority and are likely to denounce you for having sex with men after, of course, you two have sex."

Billy Ulibarri

UNM student