“If God thought that nudity was OK, we would have been born naked.”
– Ellis’ Eloquence.

Few of us will ever experience the public degradation of Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. One fine sunny day in 1998, Mr. Panayiotou, a handsome man in his mid-thirties, was in a public restroom and caught the eye of another handsome man. There was definite chemistry and, succumbing to those hormonal urges, Mr. Panayiotou began engaging in a “lewd act” in public. His partner, however, was an undercover cop who promptly arrested Mr. Panayiotou. The incident would have gone ignored except for one thing: the whole world knew Mr. Panayiotou by another name. George Michael.

Why did George Michael seek sex in a public restroom (also known as “cottaging”)? Surely he could find a willing partner wherever he wanted. Or if he was just looking for a quick sexual fix, why not hire someone, or try a sex club or at least a bar? When asked why he would take such a huge risk, he replied, “Well, I suppose that’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Could it be that George Michael’s big secret isn’t that he’s gay, but that he is an agoraphile: someone who gets pleasure from the thrill of sex in public places? Does the English adage “delight and danger grow on one stalk” hold some truth?

It is important to make a distinction between people whom psychologists label “exhibitionists” and people who enjoy sex in public. An exhibitionist is someone who receives a thrill from exposing him or herself to an unsuspecting, unwilling victim. No, we’re talking about consenting adults, singles or couples, who have sex with others in public places. Why is it such a turn-on? Do they love the thrill of possible exposure? Are they so overwhelmed by hormonal rushes they don’t have time to go indoors? And, most importantly, how illegal is it for people to express their sexual urges in public?

Apparently it is very illegal. Section 647 of the California Penal Code states that every person who commits any of the following acts is guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor: “(a) Who solicits anyone to engage in or who engages in lewd or dissolute conduct in any public place or in any place open to the public or exposed to public view.”

This is the law that cost George Michael a great deal of public humiliation. Did he deserve to be arrested for what he did? Supporters would ask who was being hurt by his actions? Wouldn’t half the world stand in line to see George Michael jerk off in a public restroom and most of the other half pay to watch the video? In a city as violent as Los Angeles, wouldn’t tax-dollars be better spent on having police stop gang violence, robbery, rapes and murders than stop a cute guy jacking off in a seldom used public men’s room? Have we taken our fear of exposure to open sexuality a little too far?

Some people would argue not. Why should they have to see people fornicating in a restroom, park, or other public venue? In addition to the hygiene issues, there’s the question of good taste, of common decency, of exposing people to something that they don’t want to view and shouldn’t have to. Consider the religious or moral implications of turning public places into live-action porn extravaganzas. All groups and cultures have their taboos and too often expect people to be tolerant of their boundaries when they are not tolerant of other’s. Also remember that a public place is, by definition, a place anyone should be able to enjoy – including children – so how can we assume that it’s okay to desecrate a public environment with such a personal act? Haven’t we evolved past the animalistic lust that forces people to engage in obsessive sex whenever they feel the need? If the attraction is that strong, can’t these restroom-romantics get a room?

As with any taboo subject, there are arguments for both sides. The desire for sex in public places can spring from many different motivations. Perhaps there is nowhere else for the couple to have sex. Perhaps they are so overwhelmed with sexual desire that they can barely control themselves. In some cases, it may be the desire for something novel and new; an attempt to keep a sexual relationship alive and healthy. For others, such as George Michael, the fear of getting caught really may increase arousal, since the centers for fear and arousal in the brain are very near each other – delight and danger do grow on the same stalk. Of course, while we look at the laws concerning public sex in the United States, it’s important to note that, in a global sense, our laws are fairly lax. For example, in countries such as Malaysia, it is illegal to kiss passionately in public. These laws are in place because that culture sees prohibiting public sex as taking the moral high ground. The fine line between protecting individual’s rights to self-expression and protecting a society from what many see to be moral disintegration is hard to delineate. In a situation where society’s moral fiber is the only victim of a crime, who is really hurt? Unlike rape or molestation where the trauma is very real, do victims (the unsuspecting viewer) who accidentally encounter people having public sex really suffer enough to make the act illegal?

And what exactly is a public place? Nobody is going to argue that having sex in the middle of a shopping mall is acceptable, but what if you’re walking in a field with your partner. It’s summer and a cool afternoon breeze wafts the scent of honeysuckle in your direction. You’re feeling at one with nature. You gaze into each other’s eyes, and are both overwhelmed with lovelorn desire. When such scenarios are played out in movies, they are romantic, delicious, suggesting the people are having a wonderful time, and therefore giving the audience every reason to run out and make love in the first field they find. But isn’t this just a dressed-up version of the same thing? Is everything outside of the curtain-drawn confines of a private residence public sex? Many of us would admit (some from personal experience) that making love in nature is something everyone should try. But what the poets and lovers see as bliss is, in the black and white world of morality-driven legislation, breaking the law the same way George Michael and his penis wagging did.

Is the criminalization of public sex (and the resource-consuming enforcement of the laws) another sign that we’ve lost perspective on our sexuality? Emblazoned on the wall at Larry Flynt’s Sunset Blvd franchise of his Hustler stores are the words: “Relax, it’s just sex.” In light of some highly publicized cases, these words may be worth heeding. For example, Paul Ruebens, better known as Pee Wee Herman, was arrested 1991 for masturbating in an adult cinema in Florida – an adult cinema where pornographic films were being shown. Is this really in public? Couldn’t one realistically expect people in the audience of a pornographic movie to naturally be excited and act on it? Do we need “masturbating” and “non-masturbating” sections of adult cinemas to protect those who want to watch actors on screen have sex but are offended if the guy next to them is masturbating? In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ruebens said, “Jeffrey Dahmer's story broke the same time as my story, and for a week I was leading the news, followed by Dahmer eating people, boring holes into their heads and turning them into zombies … It was just so bizarre.”

If you plan to engage in public sex, check your local laws to see what it is acceptable. Not all countries are created equally. In a survey conducted by Cora Publishing, it was found that Norwegians topped the list with sixty six percent claiming to have had public sex. Australians were second with sixty four percent. Only twenty one percent of Americans claimed to have public sex and a meager thirteen percent of French. Do these percentages reflect each country’s desire for public sex or how acceptable the practice is?

Demand to know what is considered “lewd” in your community so you have foreknowledge. Choose your spot carefully. Shopping malls are out, but what about inside a car in a shopping mall car park? In an open campground is not okay, but inside a tent is fine. Be discrete, sensible and considerate of people who may walk in on you. As far as taboos go, sex in a public place is one that can be enjoyed with minimal risk if you’re cautious. If, however, your thrill is in the possibility of getting caught, then realize that your actions could lead to an arrest that would then be part of your permanent public record. The question you need to answer is whether the expression of your sexual desire in public places is worth the consequences, however conservative and puritan they may seem to you. PublicSex