An Auckland community group wants to end what it calls the “unwanted blight” of men having sex in a local reserve. Murphy’s Bush is a park in the south Auckland suburb of Flat Bush. It’s also a well-known cruising spot. The group Ormiston Community Vision says there is growing community opposition to the “gay sexual activity” in the reserve, something which was discussed at a recent meeting. “This activity has been going on for some time, and if anything, it is getting worse in frequency. Locals feel intimidated to visit this beautiful bush reserve and as a result this is preventing its use as a recreational area by the community,” the group says. “With the increasingly rapid build-up of housing in the adjacent area to Murphy’s Bush, these activities are creating an increasing problem for the community.” It wants to hold a public meeting to come up with a solution, and says it “would also like to invite representative of the gay community to be part of this discussion in order to help the community to negotiate a satisfactory outcome for all concerned.” Police have in the past warned men away from using Murphy’s Bush as a meeting spot. They say ‘engaging in offensive behaviour in public’ is a crime which carries a maximum penalty of $1000, while committing an indecent act in a public place carries a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison. Trees have been removed to make the area more ‘family friendly’, but cruisers haven’t been deterred.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 14th July 2015 - 9:45am