Politics
Friday March 14, 2008
Amsterdam Decriminalizes Public Sex in Famous Park
Dutch police urge whole country to follow example
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By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
ANSTERDAM, March 13, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The government of Amsterdam has decided to decriminalize sexual activity in the Netherlands' most popular and famous park, the Vondelpark.
Frequented by families and tourists, the Vondelpark features ponds, children's playgrounds, an open air theater with free performances, and woodsy areas where authorities say that couples of any sexual combination will be free to copulate beginning in September of this year.
The park has reportedly become a favorite meeting place for homosexuals, who often engage in sexual activities there. Local law has long imposed a fine for those caught in such behavior, but under the new law such fines will no longer apply after dark.
In addition to restricting public sexual activity to nighttime, the law will also allow police to eject couples who make too much noise. Leaving behind condoms or other trash is also prohibited.
"Why prohibit something that hardly bothers other people and that, to the contrary, gives much pleasure to a particular group?" asked Paul van Grieken, an Amsterdam official, according to the Spanish publication El Periodico.
The Dutch police's National Diversity Expertise Center is advising the rest of the nation to follow Amsterdam's example and lift restrictions on public sex in all of the nation's public parks, according to De Telegraaf newspaper.
According to the Center, "cruising" gays in public parks should be tolerated in order to protect homosexuals from "queer bashers", although no explanation was given as to why the policy would afford such protection.
The Vondelpark is the Netherlands' most beloved park, visited by approximately 10 million people each year.
Ironically, the park is named after Joost van den Vondel, a Dutch poet whose conversion to Catholicism in 1641 inspired his most famous work, "Lucifer". The park contains a statue of the poet.
The Dutch homosexual organization "COC" voiced its approval for Amsterdam's change of policy.
"Cruising is something belonging to all time and banning it does not work anyway. They do it surreptitiously and mostly without others being annoyed by it. But homos at cruising spots are often attacked. By now agreeing rules of behaviour on this, safety can be increased," said COC Amsterdam chairman Dennis Boutkan, according to the Netherlands' government news agency, NIS.
The Netherlands has made a name for itself among European nations for its anti-life and anti-family policies. The Netherlands was the first country in Europe to legalize "homosexual marriage", and is now spending millions of dollars to promote homosexuality in schools. Dutch doctors freely euthanize the sick, elderly, and handicapped infants. Government subsidized abortion on demand is available until the 24th week of pregnancy
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