According to Boston University Police Department Sergeant Jack St. Hilaire, several men have been arrested this school year for engaging in explicit homosexual acts in BU buildings.
“Approximately 30 individuals have been arrested for open and gross behavior, which is indecent exposure, or lewd and lascivious behavior,” St. Hilaire said. “Approximately 50 people have been arrested in the past two years.”
The arrests have primarily taken place in the men’s bathrooms of the College of Arts and Sciences after complaints by students and professors alerted the BUPD to the problem, according to St. Hilaire.
“An everyday student or professor comes in, sees or hears indecent activity and reports it to us,” St. Hilaire said. “There have been no complaints from the women’s bathrooms.”
A website, www.cruisingforsex.com, also alerted police to hotbeds of homosexual activity on the BU campus after the site name was written on the CAS bathroom walls. The website posts a “Privacy Policy,” which forbids law enforcement to enter; however, St. Hilaire regarded this statement as a disclaimer that cannot prevent police from entering.
“Obviously if the site is giving information, then it’s part of our responsibility to investigate those locations for the safety of our students,” St. Hilaire said. “They were just trying to set up a defense, a disclaimer to protect from any unwanted litigation. If the website was participating in any illegal activities, it could not preclude the police from investigating.”
Cruisingforsex.com posts comments concerning several BU properties. The men’s bathrooms on the third, second and basement floors of CAS are places for sexual activity according to the website, as well as the Case Center Gym male locker room and Mugar Library men’s bathrooms.
St. Hilaire said a few complaints had been received from the Case Center but no arrests, and no complaints had been received from the Mugar Library.
Several members of the site remarked upon police presence in the CAS building.
“Cops are investigating and patrolling the third floor of BU Arts and Sciences Building. That was to be expected, after all, I’ve seen a few guys, who are not of college age, just hanging around the urinals and toilets up on that floor for hours on end,” a March 2002 message read. “They stupidly acted like leeches or maybe they felt it was their territory. Now the place is under surveillance.”
Some members of the website have been questioned by police, according to the website.
“I’ve twice seen uniformed officers approach one of the above-mentioned bathrooms or enter them,” a message posted in March 2002 read. “Last week, I was stopped by a young undercover who flashed his badge and had another young undercover with him. I had a reasonable excuse for them so they told me to use a bathroom at a nearby Burger King instead.”
Yet some members of the site still believe BU is a prime stop for bathroom sex as of September 2002.
“Despite all the warnings, this place is still the best place for young action. If you’re a [sic] too old then don’t bother,” a September message read. “It’s obvious you’re out of place here and you will be harassed by the police.”
Other area schools listed on the website as sites for homosexual activity include Boston College, Brandeis University, Bunker Hill Community College, Harvard University, Lesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, Roxbury Community College, and Tufts University.
Complaints concerning BU properties peaked in the spring of 2002, according to St. Hilaire, and undercover police were put on the site at that time.
“We looked into it and made several arrests, put plainclothes officers in, and since then the activity has subsided,” St. Hilaire said. “The police department regularly sends out plainclothes for alcohol control, that type of duty.”
St. Hilaire said undercover officers encountered men who were obvious in their intentions for homosexual activity.
“The person would open the stall door and stare, if someone was using the stall next to them they’d use hand signals,” St. Hilaire said. “They were basically saying, ‘If you want it, I’m here.’ Really no tactics were used in the undercover work, just common sense. We’d observe a person go into the bathroom and stay for an hour.”
St. Hilaire said students should not be concerned for their safety in these bathrooms.
“The issue doesn’t involve public safety. I’d describe this more as a public nuisance and annoyance,” he said. “If I just wanted to go in there and wash my hands, to be solicited is an annoyance.”
According to St. Hilaire, the majority of people arrested have not been BU students.
“Normally, it’s people who are not affiliated with the university,” St. Hilaire said. “Only a few people have been arrested that are affiliated.”
Some reasons that individuals might frequent the CAS building is that it is “a public bathroom, big building and it has a close proximity to the T,” St. Hilaire said. “People just get off the T and go in.”
The BUPD does not consider this a significant issue, St. Hilaire said.
“We don’t think this is a big problem, it has been a common activity for awhile, but I wouldn’t say it’s an epidemic,” St. Hilaire said. “We’ll continue to police the area.”
Students, while taken aback with news of the subject, said they still believe that it happens and that BU’s city campus may also contribute to the activity, according to College of Communication freshman Erik Dawson.
“It’s accessible to the public, on the outskirts of the city, and not a place police would patrol that often,” Dawson said. “Maybe they feel safe.”
However, he believes that the arrests reflect a worthwhile effort on behalf of the BUPD to halt the homosexual activity.
“I think that the arrests show that BUPD is doing something to stop this public indecency,” Dawson said.
School of Management junior Dustin Clevenger was disturbed by the accessibility to BU buildings by non-BU students.
“It’s absurd and disgusting really, the fact that random people can come onto our campus to do this shouldn’t even be an issue, but it sounds like BU is doing the right thing,” Clevenger said. “BU students shouldn’t be exposed to that stuff. I have nothing against homosexuality but I find it upsetting that complete strangers, non-BU students have access to these places.”
Megan Jacobs, a CAS freshman, said she was not aware of any homosexual activity in the library bathrooms.
“I work security at the library, and I’ve never heard of that, but wallets get stolen,” Jacobs said. “I think they should focus more on those kind of problems.”
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