Extra police presence is welcome around the Back Bay Fens area, despite concerns by some gay-rights activists that the deployment is designed to suppress gay cruising in the area. The police have shown no motive other than a desire to deal with an uptick in aggravated assaults while offering protection to community gardeners and others who stroll through. The patrols may also protect the pleasure seekers themselves, who are sometimes targets of criminals.
The activists, no doubt, remember the days when urban police looked for excuses to expose and humiliate gay people. But attitudes have changed, and Boston police take a low-key approach toward trysts in the Fens. They don’t seek to harass or arrest anyone in the high weeds who takes precautions against being seen by passersby. That’s consistent with the laws on public sex. But police aren’t promoting a Saturnalia, either. If anyone in search of anonymous sex is discomfited by the sight of police cruisers or bike patrols, they should get a room.
