Posted on 06/19/2008 11:36:56 AM PDT by mowowie
PROVINCETOWN — It's a slow week in the northern territory of the Cape Cod National Seashore when a man with a yellow towel flashing passers-by is the sole complaint about public sex acts.
In the past decade, the number of complaints about explicit, open public sex in the Provincetown and Truro portions of the national park has more than tripled, Seashore acting chief ranger Craig Thatcher said. The activity ranges from flashing to masturbation to men's outdoor orgies, he said. This summer, federal authorities are introducing a new tactic to discourage debauchery in the dunes: pairing up with local officials and business leaders to try to persuade culprits to behave better through public education.
"It's a growing issue, both from the number of complaints and the number of areas doing this activity," Seashore superintendent George Price said. "We certainly wanted to start a conversation with the people in Provincetown to see how we can tackle this together."
Leap in citations The Seashore's 44,000 acres are divided into two districts, with the northern sector covering parts of Provincetown and Truro, including about 20 miles of coastline.
Public sexual activity is illegal in the Seashore under federal and state law, Thatcher said. He said in incidents of public sex rangers usually enforce a federal misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, which prohibits obscene acts. The misdemeanor charge can result in a $150 citation, with a $25 court fee, for an outdoor violation. An indoor violation, as in a bathhouse, requires a court appearance before a federal magistrate.
Last year, Seashore rangers issued 132 citations for public sex acts, compared with about 70 annually from 2003 to 2006, and about 40 citations annually in prior years, Thatcher said. The Seashore does not specifically track and categorize complaints about public sex acts, he said.
There has been no increased law enforcement that could explain the soaring number of citations issued, Thatcher said. The Seashore will employ four permanent rangers and nine seasonal rangers this summer, he said.
An example of the complaints was a call reporting Wednesday that a 65- to 70-year-old man was flashing people at Herring Cove Beach, according to Seashore records.
In a Sept. 19, 2007, letter, a New Jersey family walking with children in the dunes encountered "several couples and then a large group of men having group sex in the nude, including oral and anal sex right out in the open."
In an August 2007 letter, a whale-watch boat captain leaving Provincetown Harbor with passengers reported seeing 20 to 30 nude men "playing around" near Wood End Lighthouse.
Other complaints describe Seashore visitors encountering public sex acts at Head of the Meadow Beach in North Truro and near a Seashore building off North Pamet Road in Truro.
Request for discretion The Seashore does not release the names of the people making complaints, to protect their privacy, Thatcher said.
Provincetown has a relatively large gay resident population and is a popular destination for gay tourists.
"It's not acceptable, decent, moral behavior," said Province-
town Police Chief Jeff Jaran, whose department assists Seashore rangers. "There is a time to be discreet, and there are places to go and do those types of things."
Jaran said he supports a combination of "zero-tolerance" law enforcement and public education.
Last week, Seashore officials discussed the illegal activity with local officials and representatives of the town's two business groups, the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce and the Provincetown Business Guild. To build on that meeting, Price is drafting a statement to address the issue that all the attendees will sign and distribute to business owners, tourists, newspapers and others, Price and business guild spokesman Don Knuuttila said.
"I think it's really about developing a collaborative relationship where we can help each other," Knuuttila said. "It's about a unified front."
“Head of the Meadow Beach in North Truro”: the name is just too suggestive.
I have a friend who owns a beach house in Falmouth on the Cape. Theres a road bridge that goes over i guess what is a tidal Stream that flows into a pond.
I’ve been under there 10’s of times drinking as a kid.
Last summer we went under there for the hell of it and the whole place was littered with used condoms and empty K-Y Jelly tubes. I swear to god.
It was disgusting.
You mean they’ve penetrated Dennis, too?
Why not? Their morality and behavior has been legitimized by Massachusetts and more recently, California (by their supreme court). Next time these liberal citizens start feeling so sympathetic with the ‘normal’ every day plaints of these deviate who only want what ‘heteros’ have, they’ll think twice about electing debauched judiciary and politicos....bottom line Citizens of Cape Cod? You get what you condone.....and then some!
It's a good thing you didn't make it to Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket...playgrounds of this nation's rich and beautiful.
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Actually, I liked Nantucket, but I wasn’t too impressed with Martha’s Vineyard.
I go back further than 25 years with Provincetown. It has always been a place for homosexuals to gather. I can remember them as a child when my parents took us on vacation. Nothing has changed. Public displays of affection between same sex couples was up front and in your face.
I would post their pictures in the newspaper.
Zero tolerance? What is that? Double zero buckshots? What is the punishment in this perverted state? Marry them "legally" to each other? Huh?
Public education? That’s what the homosexuals are trying to do in public schools; TEACH PERVERSION TO OUR KIDS! Is this what you mean, Mr. Jaran?
Homos are protected species. Period.
Regardless of the article, this is not a recent inovation for “P” Town.
I’m 40 and as far as i can remember P-town was always “P-town”.
P-Town used to be a lot of fun, even with the fags. I lived on Cape for almost thirty years and the best man at my wedding owned half of a P-Town hotel, multi-story with five different bars. I have a lot of P-Town stories.
Yea, it’s a pretty interesting place.
I’ve been there plenty of times.
Ever go to the old Casino (Nightclub, not gambling) in Falmouth?
I LOVED that place and miss it.
Ya, I forgot the tag >8)
The liberals constantly try to portray the homosexual lifestyle as normal. Yet time and time again we see the reality that they are consumed with an almost beastial lust (exactly how the Bible describes it). Everywhere they seem to migrate to becomes an area totally off-limits to families with children. When is there going to be a stop put to this disgusting behavior once and for all?
It is disgusting.
I blame BJ Clinton for this nightmare.
I know this type crap has been going on forever but with Clinton EVERY freak came out of the woodwork with his promises of protection.
Yup
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