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I'm not truly questioning this bust, but this is just hilarious.

"Craig then entered the next-door stall and placed his luggage against the opening under the stall door. . . . My experience has shown that individuals engaging in lewd conduct use their bags to block the view from the front of their stall," said the officer, Sgt. Dave Karsnia."

>>> (Gulp!)That's where I put MY luggage when I'm in an airport stall.

"At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. "

>>> Oh, lord. He tapped his right foot? I think I may have tapped my right foot while in those same stalls. Good gawd! Am I that gay? And that horny? (Well, okay, we'll stick to the serious questions.)

"Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot. ... The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area. . . . The report said that Craig swiped his hand beneath the stall divider several times and that Karsnia showed his police identification under the stall."

>>> And that's all he did. Damn. I'm just lucky I've never been caught, I guess.

I'm not sure how I can go home and even look my wife and kids in the eye tonight. I've let them think, all these years, that I'm just a normal guy, and now I come to find out (okay, bad pun given the circumstances) that I'm actually just another airport-toilet-stall-gay-sex-degenerate. I'm really feeling disappointed in myself tonight.

I really, REALLY wish the title of this post simply said "Wookin pa nub."

Like, I really wish it did.
/cries

Bx...it certainly wasn't going to be "Fee times a mady"

My favorite is the one where they don't even know what Buckwheat's singing, so they just post questions marks.

A. Resolved: I'm kind of weird.

B. "But sex between closeted gay men in public places, particularly bathrooms, is common; and there are signals that these men use in order to smoothly facilitate a "hook up," and the stuff Craig did was textbook."

Yeah, but since when are "signals" a criminal offense? If I buy some woman a drink and compliment her hair, I get 30 days? If I brush up against a woman in a bar, the plant whispers "the quick brown fox" into a label bug and the cops break down the door? This is bullshit. "Lewd conduct"? Where? He neither touched nor exposed any of the Blessed Appendages, he never threw money over the stall wall, he never did anything illegal.

This is a complete legal farce. I'm guessing he was trying to signal to the guy in the next booth - the cop - that he wouldn't mind a quick sexual hook-up. So fucking what? How many times do you think a guy tries to signal the exact same thing to some woman in a Minneapolis bar tonight, probably a whole lot less subtly?

They're busting people in Minneapolis when they have gay sex? 'Cuz, that's what this is all about.

Bx, you're crackin me up.
But max delivered on your request -- nice.

I haven't laughed this hard, this silently, this late at night since I was a kid with a flashlight and some Choose Your Own Adventure bullshit under a blanket fort.

Gotta get yuks where you can.

Tanks Max.

I agree with bobby to an extent. Nothing this guy did is any worse than anything I've seen on a dancefloor downtown, or a Saturday night bar hopping in Uptown.

One of the arrest charges was "Interfering with Privacy" which I'm assuming has something to do with bothering someone while they're piddling and what not. And I think that's the initial charge that made the arrest. The dude really should have gotten a lawyer.

I think the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said it best today, "And by the way, why are Minneapolis tax dollars being used to have plainclothes police officers lurking idly in airport restroom stalls?"

They also pointed out what has become the larger story here: Craig spent a lot of his political career against things like stopping discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment and passing laws prohibiting same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnership rights.

In the meantime, apparently, he's been enjoying the gay sex. It makes me wonder about many of our elected officials that don't like the gays so much...what are they hiding?

"In the meantime, apparently, he's been enjoying the gay sex."

We heteros get to "enjoy" sexual relationships, and just plain relationships in general. Imagine how much "enjoyment" a guy must get when he has to hide what he is his entire long life, can never actually achieve love and orgasm in the same circumstance, and has to "signal" other old guys in dirty airport bathrooms for a quick blow job.

Yeah, boy, he's had it good, but the ol' gravy train's over now!

About his anti-gay stance in public? He's lived his entire life in a society that say gay is bad, weird, disgusting. Hell, progressive web sites are probably even making fun of his orientation tonight. Wonder why he might harbor a hatred for whatever makes one gay, huh?

Makes me wonder about our local media. The arrest happened in our state two months ago and our local media did not break the story? Even C.J. didn't know about this?

"Having said that, I also think that if guys hooking up in a public place is becoming a nuisance, it's justifiable for some actions to be taken to dicourage that. It's not a right that any of us have, hetrosexual or homosexual, to engage in sexual conduct in a public place. If we choose to do that, we knowingly risk getting caught and punished for that."

Well obviously the trick is not to get caught then. I mean, what are single public restrooms with doors that lock for if not for hooking up? I ask you.

Why doesn't this ever happen in unisex bathrooms? Dang!

Heteros have been hooking up in airplane bathrooms for ever and I have yet to see anyone get arrested for that and the flight staff was well aware of what was going on.

i'm just sayin that you keep doing that, and the sexual adventurers/deviants (of various orientations and persuasions) will keep finding ways and places to rendevous. let the games begin.

Oh, I see. Agreed.

Undoubtedly, the risk of getting caught is part of the appeal, for those so inclined.

There was a thread here a while back about having sex out in public places, triggered by a column Alexis did on that, at vita.mn. Rex, this site's founder, who's moved to the Pacific Northwest, chimed in late in that thread, encouraging others here to join him in specifying public places where they'd engaged in sex. As I recall, no one else here chose to speak up about that.

"As I recall, no one else here chose to speak up about that."

If you tell people the best spots for fishing, there won't be any fish left.

"Ridiculous, reactionary, anti-sex, and homophobic, yes. But also now more and more a reality, even with the best attorneys (and even in a "progressive" state like MN)."

That's BS from the Craigslist reference.

Your state gets its progressive bona fides by tolerating sex in airport bathroom stalls?

It's an airport. It's not Cruise Town.

Agreed, good job Jason...and good luck with the airport police @ MSP next time you fly!

"I think the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said it best today, "And by the way, why are Minneapolis tax dollars being used to have plainclothes police officers lurking idly in airport restroom stalls?""

I didn't get the impression that the cop was "lurking idly in airport restroom stalls"

The way I read them, was that the officer was sent to that particluar restroom to investigate specific complaints of "lewd behavior." Once there, he apparently identified someone as a potential "cruiser."

I thought the funniest part from the arrest report was his explanation why their feet were touching:

Craig stated that he has a wide stance when going to the bathroom and that his foot may have touched mine, the report states.

Man, I can't tell you how much I could care less about two consenting adults attempting to find a hook up, no matter what whacked out "code words" and signals they need to use to do so.

All this while bridges are falling, and I still have to take my shoes off and throw away my stylin' hair gel at the airport security.

Almost makes you want to go Libertarian.

One other question for the knowledgeable Feds: when in an airport bathroom stall, where else do you want us to put our luggage? On our heads? There's no other place to put luggage but in front of the front door (plus since most of the doors are done broked anyhoo, the only way to keep them closed is to brace your luggage against them).

Also, Feds: if you're a Republican senator from Idaho, where else are you supposed to get some love?

I think I could try this case, and I'm not a lawyer.

The fact that he pled guilty rather than fighting it is interesting. Now he says he was innocent, but wanted to take care of it himself. This, from a sitting U.S. Senator. Weird.

And I'm all for consenting people hooking-up. But as someone who visits the airport with my kid... I'm not OK with people hooking up in the airport bathroom. I don't think the sting was because people were just looking for love... it's because people were engaging in "lewd" behavior IN the airport bathroom.

I'm sorry to be an idiot, but I don't get how this whole thing works. Touching feet? Swiping hands under the stall? Where's the sexy? Is that a signal that party A would like join party B in his stall? If so, why doesn't the officer actually go into the stall and then show his ID? I mean, at that point it would be hard for Larry to say, "Oh, you totall misunderstood me. I just needed some help with this giant TP roll."
I hate it when a salacious scandal just leaves me confused.

Good point, Jason. I will also mention for the record that I take no pleasure in listening to my airport brethren's "business" in the stall next to me. Apparently they don't give you meals on flights anymore, but they must serve cabbage. Whew...

Rat,

I understand your point.

But I think you read more into it than what I actually intended.

Jason's obviously a public figure, as a reporter on the TV news.

But other MnSpeakers can comment from their areas of expertise without revealing that much about their identities. For example, from reading MnSpeak in recent months I know that "mnblrmkr" is hard-of-hearing, and a research scientist for a bio-med company; and I look forward to getting his takes on matters that touch on those areas of his experience and expertise. But it's not about wanting to know his exact identity.

Ah, but many (some?) of us are registered. Even if we're not public figures, it can still be wise to limit what we disclose, at least under our registered user id.

In the cold, clear light of the next day, I've decided that my outrage last night was unjustified. I had thought that busting gays for such disgusting, deviant sexual behavior as tapping the feet several times, or waving a hand under a stall wall, was wrong, specifically because I can see behavior between men and women way more explicit, way more obvious, and way more public than any of this, twenty-four hours per day in the airport bars. Hell, it gets steamier on the planes. This wasn't about "lewd" conduct, this was about "gay" conduct.

But I can see that the people who consider themselves to be the progressive members of this community - hell, even some of the gay members of this community - see nothing wrong with this. And, frankly, if basic human rights ideals can be cast aside so easily by those most affected every day by such actions and attitudes, simply for the sake of the glee of seeing someone in "the other party" fall, the commitment to those ideals can't be all that strong, and I'd be foolish to hold those ideals dearer than do those most affected.

I guess I'll just look at the bright side: The airport always complains that it needs more funds, especially for security. I fly maybe six to eight times per month, and MSP has security lines as bad as any in the country, due to lack of staffing. But, even though I may miss flights if I don't get there 3 hours early to get through the lines, I can rest easier knowing I'm safe from that dreaded foot-tapping in those bathroom stalls.

Yeah, I'd say MSP must be pretty well fully funded.

Bobby_b, in all honesty, would you be defending this guy if he was a Democrat? Just curious.

I agree that these seem like pretty tepid charges and don't seem to constitute illegal behavior. But I don't agree that we should feel sorry for him because society makes it hard to be gay. Many people manage to make their way through life being openly gay. And short of that, they certainly manage not to try to squash the rights of other homosexuals in an attempt to cover up their own orientation.

Thus, whatever schadenfreude some of you feel b/c this fellow is an R is quite possibly misplaced.

While I mostly agree with you Bobby -- that a little foot tapping and leg rubbing should not necessarily lead to arrest. However, I am a person against hypocrisy. If you preach against homosexual behavior, then you darn well better not participate in such activities. This is where "the progressive members of this community" are taking their glee, as you put it. It is in this person's hypocritical behavior has finally caught up to him -- a bit. It is not the particular example of this case. Many are jumping heavily to Ted Haggard type conclusions, and perhaps they should not. As in, here is another anti-gay Republican senator caught in what appears to be gay behavior. This may not be the case. It is just a conclusion that is readily available to be jumped to by looking at past experience.

He DID plead guilty to the charge...

"it is people like the public Craig who make it harder for the private Craig to be ok with who he really is,"

Really? I see "people like Craig" on the anti side of the gay marriage debate, but are you arguing that our legislatures and congresses set our public attitudes? That the "public Craig" causes people to fear or hate gays? I'd say it's snide crap like this episode that does way more to make it not-so-fun to be gay than any marriage debate. We even have the obligatory "ooo, Bobby came out of the closet!" comment above, which was apparently the biggest insult the writer could devise, but it's Congress's not altering the marriage laws that demonize gays?

I see 60-somethings like Craig who, unlike (presumably) you, has lived a long life, spending his 20's pre-Stonewall in a place like Idaho (now there's a gay-friendly place, right?) where his personal perceptions and outlook about his own orientation probably caused him psychic pain you'll never know or understand. One of the most basic, widely-held, primal taboos in mankind's history has only started to ease in the last thirty years, and he grew up before that easing started, and you can fault him because he can't get over all that?

It must be nice to have certainty about the motivations of others, to know what constitutes their psychological overlayment, and to be able to chalk up conflicts and insecurities to selfish hypocrisy.

There's an upside, though. I can imagine the bitter recriminations going on over at the Strib today. The business types are probably livid - livid! - that no one had the thought, even as their circulation peters out into state fair giveaways and sidewalk pickup racks - to print up a Special Idaho Edition of maybe 50,000 copies for shipment straight to Idaho. They could stick one of those big black headlines on that said "Holy crap, HE'S A FAG!", and then fill the interior with stories about the myriad loathsome diseases voters . . I mean, people could get from him just by shaking his hand.

But, yeah, it's the fight against gay marriage that's really hurting gays in the public opinion polls.

One of the most basic, widely-held, primal taboos in mankind's history has only started to ease in the last thirty years

oh yeah, there definitely has never been any buggering in ancient greece or rome or even british boarding schools.

"Bobby_b, in all honesty, would you be defending this guy if he was a Democrat? Just curious."

Yes. Never heard of him. Don't much care what party he's with. Disgusted at the cannibalizing that goes on when someone gets caught being gay, because I've seen what kind of quiet, foundational affect those kinds of headlines have on non-urban, gay-ignorant folk who really don't know what to think until our wonderful media tells them - that, yeah, being gay must really be disguting and loathsome, because it's bad enough to destroy otherwise respectable people - and I've seen the destruction of good and great people who were outed because some shithead - hell, sometimes some gay shithead - saw quick tactical political advantage.

do as I say, not as I do!

bobby, people love politicians in sex scandals of any kind. it's just even better if their private life runs exactly opposite to their political life.

Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)

Not real meaningful. Paul Wellstone voted for DOMA.

"it is people like the public Craig who make it harder for the private Craig to be ok with who he really is,"

Really? I see "people like Craig" on the anti side of the gay marriage debate, but are you arguing that our legislatures and congresses set our public attitudes?

That wasn't my take on the "public Craig" comment at all. I read it to mean that the public actions of Craig, i.e. hanging out in mens' restrooms for a quickie, makes it more difficult for the general public to accept the gay lifestyle; the your average heterosexual will believe that all gay men act that way.

Kind of like believing that *all* heterosexual men engage in picking up hookers, because of the publicity surrounding occasional stings, when only a small percentage of men do such a thing.

You know, if a young lady is rubbing my foot or tapping or being suggestive at a bar, that's something I'd enjoy. If she's doing it while I'm on the crapper, I am going to be weirded out.

So this "oh, you're so anti-gay" stuff about sexual behavior in a public bathroom seems a little wrongheaded to me.

But you go ahead an enjoy your outrage, Mr. B.

"You know, if a young lady is rubbing my foot or tapping or being suggestive at a bar, that's something I'd enjoy. If she's doing it while I'm on the crapper, I am going to be weirded out. "

But next time, you'll realize that the little outline figure with a dress means "womens' restroom", the the educational aspect will have made it all worthwhile.

Bobby, it's been explained, but it doesn't seem to be registering with you that when a member of a party whose business is setting arbitrary moral standards and spending money, destroying privacy and making peoples' lives miserable by enforcing them, then it's a big deal when it turns out they're a big freaking hypocrite. His private life wouldn't of mattered - if he hadn't spent his public life making other people's private lives matter. Got that?

I have to say, i get a little weirded out whenever people who claim to espouse tolerance for something (like homosexuality, and i share that tolerance) then dance around mockingly, pointing fingers at someone like Craig for engaging in this kind of behavior.

I get that much of the criticism aimed at him is about his hypocrisy and the contrast between his policies and his lifestyle.

Still, if being gay is OK (and it is, in my opinion) than why resort to junior-high level name calling (like that awful blog proclaiming that Craig "likes dick" or whatever) when someone is found to be engaging in homosexual behavior.

Sure, go after him for the hypocrisy....go after him for trying to commit a sex act in a public bathroom (which is wrong), but when you try to, on the one hand, proclaim your unending openness and tolerance for homosexuality, and, on the other hand (perhaps the "hand" analogy is not the best one for this situation, huh?) mock him in the most base, vile manner for engaging in this behavior, you become a bit of a hypocrite yourself, no?

I guess my point is....I see some people using language that (they know full well) taps into other people's anti-gay bigotry to go after Craig, and that's just wrong

Look who was in the next stall.

Bachmann bears false witness, and covets her neighbor's oil fields

I should add: I really don't like hypocrites, especially legislating hypocrites. Alert me next time there's a democrat that is one and I'll criticise them too.

The general societal disapproval for gays makes longterm relationships damn near impossible for some guys and so all they can ever find are hookups like this, but they're simply gist for buttfuck jokes here. I expected something different.

My mistake. Back to cat pictures.

»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 12:06 AM on August 28

"And they think they are protecting others when they are just touting themselves."

- - -

You'd think that the Bosacker episode would dissuade these people from touting themselves in public.

.

»» Submitted by »»» bobby_b at 4:20 PM on March 2

Getting back to the actual reporting of the story ... One of my close friends is an editor at Roll Call and she shared some more details with me today. Apparently, they had got the tip from a source (not sure if it was anon or not) but -- echoing Jason's post about the difficulty of dealing with the aiport cops -- it took a full week to actually get the police report in hand, and ultimately they had to hire a courier to go there and fax it to Roll Call.

When they called his office for a comment, his staff said they didn't know a thing about it, and she believes they didn't. It seems Larry thought this whole thing would just blow over unnoticed and no one would ever be the wiser.

Anyway, the Idaho Stateman (home to former Pioneer Press editor Vicki Gowler) has a lot more background in this fascinating story that says this wasn't the first such encounter for the senator.

Hyperbole. I know the real meaning. No apologies, though.

Ross: I blogged a bit more today about the airport cops. They told me they're in a tight spot: reporting to an entire airport board, rather than just one mayor or city administrator. So they as a matter of policy, share information with the board before getting it to the public. That creates some major delays.

Plus: Their reports are hard copies, not computerized. So that's another issue.

Do you work through the MAC to get a spokesperson, Jason?

Did Rep. Craig light up when he was finished?

Then he'd be really in trouble.

But he's a Senator.

So, its OK for the MAC cops to profile gay cruisers based on some very subtle behavior, but they'd be admonsihed for profiling Arab muslims for terrosim based on very subtle behavior?

"So, its OK for the MAC cops to profile gay cruisers based on some very subtle behavior, but they'd be admonsihed for profiling Arab muslims for terrosim based on very subtle behavior?"

MAC cops and the TSA are two unrelated entities.

The Rat: We do work through MAC. The police tell us to go through Public Affairs, and Public Affairs tells us, MAC doesn't want to get involved, as it's a police matter. Wonderful.

I cut through the BS, filed a FOIA request, and hopefully will get some answers tomorrow.

Having spoken with Pat Hogan before, I can say he's nothing but helpful with public affairs issues at MSP. But I can't imagine having to talk to airport police who, according to DeRusha, have to share everything with a board before releasing any information. That's a serious impediment to the free flow of information, and I don't see why it should be tolerated (from a Federal agency).

The police report indicates that Craig tried to discourage the officers from pursuing the matter by showing them that he's a U.S. Senator.

That would've made it tempting for the police to leak this story. That they didn't leak it shows perhaps a lot of self-control on their part, or a lot of fear of the board.

Bobby is right that this case was the thinnest of concoctions. But the good Senator chose for his own reasons not to fight it. Probably he was just hoping to avoid further inquiry by the Idaho Statesman and those who were already accusing him of hypocrasy. His gamble and he lost. Just like Clinton gambled and lost in the Lewinsky case. Is it the biggest issue in the world? Hell no. Is it wrong to take a little glee in the exposure of a hypocrite? Life ain't worth livin' if ya can't laugh once in a while, even if it is a little mean-spirited and part of you knows better. A good chuckle for a day and the bastard deserves to fry a little bit. He'll stay a senator til the next election. Then the Idaho voters can decide whether they really want to be represented by Barney Frank. If they do, and an incumbent Senator, even a ridiculous one, is hard to beat, they at least next time they will know what they're buying.

"Raindog! I choose you!"

You are right, The Rat, in that it's surprising that no one leaked this story. But when you say it's the talk of The Cop Shop, bear in mind you're talking about the Airport Police Cop Shop. Not exactly a large operation, and certainly no reporter is covering the airport police beat. Should we be? Probably not.

It's more surprising that someone in the courthouse didn't leak it, but again, the guilty plea was signed August 1 and the sentencing was that week. The bridge pretty much squeezed all other news out.

Cruising happens all around the city, not just at the airport. The U of M west bank is a hot spot for this behavior.

Hmmm....I'm thinking that what bud jr.'s really asking here is for someone to meet up with him and show him exactly how it's done.

New T shirt idea:

"Foot tapping is not a crime".

"It's more surprising that someone in the courthouse didn't leak it, but again, the guilty plea was signed August 1 and the sentencing was that week. "

This sounds like one of those pleas done in chambers, with the judge, a city attorney, and a lawyer, and the defendant either appearing by signature, or maybe there in person. But no spectators.

I have no personal knowledge about where this plea occurred, but seldom do the morals-type misdemeanor charges get pled out in open court, unless you have a PD who has 40 cases on that calendar and can't afford all the extra time.