No longer a crime

Homosexuals argue that they are more likely to be prosecuted for public shows of intimacy than heterosexual couples.

That may often be true. Some people tend to find the former more unacceptable than the wink, wink, nudge, nudge innuendo of, say, a man and woman having sex in a train carriage.

But the fact remains that neither should be tolerated in places the general public is using on a daily basis.

There is nothing more distasteful than overwrought gropings between couples of any sex on buses, in parks and restaurants. If that's not bad enough, then seedy meetings in public toilets - male or female - are even worse.

The tabloids - and the broadsheet Press - had a field day when pop star George Michael was caught in a compromising position in a Los Angeles loo.

And while likening a glamorous American city to leafy Bramhope may be taking the scenario a little too far, the underlying theme is not so different.

It provides, in fact, the nub of the issue in that while we might not be surprised by celebrity antics, we certainly do not expect the same behaviour in an affluent commuter village.

As law-abiding people we should be able to use the facilities given to us without the fear of stumbling across sweaty couples 'en flagrante'.

Getting down from the moral high ground, the situation comes down to observing some really rather basic social rules.

Whether you agree with using spy cameras to crack down on any perceived problem, be it drugs, vandalism or a so-called 'sex haunt', the facts remain the same. All of them are anti-social and objectionable to members of the public.

Hopefully it will encourage all loving couples to enjoy their loving moments behind closed doors rather than subjecting the rest of us to their physical displays of affection.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.