Gay Cruising in England and Wales - History and Origins

History and Origins

The history of gay cruising is sparsely documented, as the illegality of gay sex meant that those who used such cruising grounds were likely to be discreet about them. Rictor Norton, author of Mother Clap's Molly House (a reference to Margaret Clap), is one of the few historians to address the topic. He believes that the first gay cruising grounds and gay brothels in London may have sprung up in the early 17th century. Theatres were sometimes denounced as such by moralists of the time.

So-called "cruising grounds" or "cruising sites", where gay and bisexual men meet at a public place to cruise for sex, originated in the late 1600s (from the earliest known records, although it most likely originated long before then) and has continued to the present day. Cruising came about due to the fact that homosexual acts were at one time and for many hundreds of years, illegal. Homosexuality was little understood or not understood at all in fact by religious heterosexual society, and it was considered an illness or disease and being homosexual was considered a "sin" and was viewed upon by society at large as a very negative thing. Therefore homosexual men didn't "come out" before the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, and had to live their entire lives a complete lie, not living true to themselves and they did not openly acknowledge their true feelings. Gay men needed places where they could meet other men, to fulfill their same-sex attractions without potentially being caught by authorities. Due to the illegality and the extreme negativity with which homosexuality was viewed at the time, the only way men could meet others was by visiting known "cruising" grounds. Even after the 1967 Act, when it is logical to assume that there is no longer any need for the men to be discreet and have to resort to cruising, a number still continue to use cruising grounds, as society is to a certain degree still homophobic and still therefore many gays live in the closet and resort to cruising. Some men do not come out or live as openly gay or bisexual, often because they come from families with strict religious views or even if they come from non-religious, secular families because they simply feel that their families and much of society in general, is homophobic. It is incorrect to assume that every gay and bisexual man has it "easy" in post-1967 Britain; there are still many social reasons as to why gays live "double lives," feel the need to be discreet, and have to resort to cruising for sex. However, not all gays who use cruising sites are closeted. Some live openly gay or bisexual and partake in cruising as an easy way to find a sexual encounter. When cruising first arose it usually took place in public fields, parks, toilets (or "cottages" as they would become known as in the 20th century) and in more recent times, public laybys located either on or off main roads or rural roads.