Current Events > Cops Sting and Shame Gay Men on Grindr

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https://medium.com/james-finn/cops-sting-and-shame-gay-men-on-grindr-1ec38288824b

As Project Q Atlanta first reported, cops in northern Georgias Dawson County used the Grindr gay hook-up app to arrest nine men in a gay sex sting that ran from March 2 to March 4. Their mug shots and names have appeared in a local newspaper, in some cases including the identities of their employers. While full legal details are not yet public, one of the men has contacted LGBTQ reporters and advocates to contest the charges. Greg Nevins, senior Lambda Legal counsel in Atlanta, after reviewing Grindr chat screenshots and other evidence, called the entire sting operation a cataclysmic failure of law enforcement.Nevins asks, Where does the protect and serve baseline actually come into this? Where is any appreciation for not over incarcerating people who arent doing anything harmful?

According to a screenshot of the conversation in Project Qs possession, since turned over to Lambda Legal, the officer used Grindr username Charlie[looking for]420, to initiate a chat, offering to hookup for sex at a local motel room he would pay for. For those who dont know, Grindr is all about hookups. Its not a dating app for most people. The man mentioned to the undercover cop that he had marijuana. The officer replied, U share? adding he wanted to get high and fuck and had rolling papers. The man responded, Nothing wrong with that, as he agreed to meet at the undercover officers motel for sex. He was met with handcuffs and jail instead, and faces charges of pandering (a Georgia legal term for solicitation of prostitution), possession of marijuana, and criminal attempt. Nevins is scornful of the solicitation charges, telling Project Q the evidence doesnt come close to supporting the idea that paid sex was supposed to happen. The one thing that you should have before you label something prostitution is a very clear situation where the offer of the item or money is an indispensable part of the transaction. The supposed sex worker has to basically make it clear that without your paying or giving the item, there will be no sex. Thats not here at all.

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Crono99 posted...

Did we overturn Lawrence v Texas in secret or something?

Paying for sex and possessing weed is still illegal in that part of US. Probably others too and that was reason those dudes got arrested.

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SodomInsane posted...

Paying for sex

The closest thing to "paying for sex" in this is that the cop said he'd pay for the motel room.

If that's enough to make it prostitution then I'm a goddamn prostitute from that time the girl paid for the room.

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Crono99 posted...

Sounds like an excuse tbh. There's nothing about paying in that story.

Im just saying what the cops charged him with. In the article/OP he explains why it was wrong. I think it is dumb too what they arrested these men for.

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this makes me kind of mad
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