A GAY and lesbian civil rights group is calling for a cruising tolerance zone to be to be established in Manchester’s city centre.
According to Pink Paper, OutRage issued its demands after a series of crackdowns by Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
The group said that GMP’s actions during the incidents were “divisive and infective in the long-term and actually increase tensions between the community and the authorities” and claimed that they had adopted a heavy-handed approach.
It is now asking police, who organized the crackdown because of complaints from local residents and businesses, to name ‘The Canal’, an area which links the Gay Village with Piccadilly and Ancoats, a ‘tolerance zone’.
The Canal has been in the headlines several times in the past few years because of his reputation as a place where gay men pick each other up.
“We are working closely with the gay community, police and residents regarding this issue. Cruising the ‘canal area’ is an unlawful and often dangerous activity and it is essential that the police enforce the law, both equally and fairly,” Councillor Paul Fairweather, from Manchester City Council, told Pink Paper, “We do not believe the idea of ‘cruising tolerance zones’ would, in any sense, be a positive step for the city.”
A spokesperson from Manchester’s Lesbian and Gay foundation (LGF) added: “This [cruising tolerance zone] initiative does provide us with an opportunity to make sure that the police are working with the community and organisations such as LGF to not only respond to such complaints, but engage in dialogue with users of the area to make sure that they are aware of the dangers around hate crimes, robberies and opportunistic attacks on men cruising for sex.
“What the issue does highlight is that the police are becoming more aware of the needs of the gay community and that they are working in a supportive and responsible way.”
Filed under: Gay and Lesbian, Local | Tagged: Ancoats, city centre, Councillor Paul Fairweather, crackdown, cruising, gay, gay community, gay village, GMP, Greater manchester police, lesbian, Lesbian and Gay foundation, machester, OutRage, Piccadilly, The Canal, tolerance, tolerate, zone |
How ridiculous, the area of the canal that the pink paper is talking about is horrible. Queue upon queue of gay men and drug dealers, looking for business and sex. It’s horrible to know what’s going on under the bridge and totally disgusting, not because they are gay but because sex acts and the selling of drugs shouldn’t be going on in public.
This is a major problem and those residents and shoppers in the area shouldn’t have to put up with it. Also the Pink Paper seems to be saying that gay people should be allowed to cruise the streets and pick up random men, would this not be a deviant activity?
If there were groups of men propositioning women and then having sex in the streets and ally ways there would be outrage.
Gay men have bars, friends and other methods of picking up potential partners or just for a night of sex. But there shouldn’t be essentially a NO-go area for anyone else in the city so they can get their end away.
Arrest them all (not all gay’s all outdoor/public cruisers.)
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