Hello Out readers.
Queer men are being targeted at cruising locations in New York City, and over 200 of them have been arrested since June 1 at Penn Station. At least 20 men have been taken into ICE custody. The Penn Station bathroom is listed as a "hotspot" on Sniffies, a map-based queer hookup app.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal tells Out that these arrests "harken back to the dark days of trapping gay men and other members of the community in public spaces like restrooms. ... Add to that toxic mix, ICE, and the Trump administration's efforts to round up undocumented New Yorkers. It was a rather frightening callback to a period that we thought had long passed in queer American history."
Now, Hoylman and some of his colleagues are calling on Roger Harris, the president of Amtrak, to meet with elected officials to end this sting operation.
Our New York City council members, Erik Bottcher and Tiffany Cabán, wrote a letter on Thursday to Harris sharing their concerns about the reports of "deeply alarming violations of civil rights, due process, and protections against discriminatory policing." In the letter, they write that they request a "written explanation of how these arrests have been conducted, how many people have been affected, and what safeguards Amtrak will put in place to prevent further violations of civil rights."
These arrests make the recent film Plainclothes seem eerily relevant. In that film, Tom Blyth plays a young cop who is tasked with going undercover to gay cruising spots to arrest men, only to find himself falling in love with one of his targets.
Plainclothes takes place over 30 years ago, but sadly, these arrests are happening all over again.
Keep reading to find all the best pop culture news and our Woman Crush Wednesday.
- Mey Rude
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Woman Crush Wednesday
Actress and activist Indya Moore is our Woman Crush Wednesday! The Pose star recently took to Instagram to issue a call to action to protect trans people, mentioning Ryan Murphy by name.
"We really, really need y'all. Like, the fact that Ryan Murphy has been so silent? Like, we really pissed you off that much, Ryan? Like, Ryan Murphy, who upset you that much? Janet pissed you off that much?" Moore asked.
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