(I’m hoping for opinions here, so I figgered IMHO. If a mod disagrees, please feel free to move at will.)
As most people know, sex in public places is illegal. I was wondering why that is. If it’s between two consenting adults who aren’t endangering anyone else or any fragile restaurant tables, why should it be against the law to do it in public?
Frightens the horses.
It’s my opinion on the subject (imagine that! An opinion in the opinion forum!) that a society is maintained by its taboos more than anything else. Sex being a major component of human behaviour, it would naturally follow that sexual taboos would be the most prominent. Once you get taboos in there, you get repression, and the first effect of repression is avoidance of being exposed to the stimulus.
So, public sex becomes taboo, in that vicious circle, and taboo things typically become illegal.
Well, if a couple decides to have sex in public then they are involving everyone who can hear, see and smell them. Unless they get consent from all of those people, then it would be a violation of their rights and thus would be immoral and therefore made illegal.
and I would have to agree it does frighten the horses.
The dogs get a kick out of it tho…
cats dont care.
My guess would be that indecent exposure laws would prevent outdoor romps.
And for that, I give my thanks.
Sanitation issues. Same reason it’s illegal to go around spitting on the ground in a lot of locales.
Because people don’t like to feel jealous.
X-Slayer I don’t buy it, you don’t need consent from others to wear strong perfume, or outrageous clothes. The only time something becomes illegal in public is when it is deemed to cause unreasonable discomfort to others (like playing music very loud).
I think Neurotik has the most logical answer, sanitation issues would be important, the same way urinating outside deignated areas would be illegal.
Though I susspect the reason for the law’s existance is more due to prudishness than logic.
Sex is a much more intimate act that wearing strong perfume or outrageous clothing. This alone practically guarantees that it will cause “unreasonable discomfort to others” in a way that perfume and accoutrements can not.
Same reason we can’t take a dump in public, even if we clean up after ourselves-it’s something private, and it’s something most of us don’t care to see.
Perhaps because there might be small children around who don’t understand the concept yet? I dunno, but it’s not something I’d want to see at my local grocery store. Yes, prudishness, as Bippy stated, probably has much to do with it – however, I have to wonder if even Amsterdam (sp?) has laws against public sexual adventures.
This is a lead-in for the “when did you have sex in public?” thread. I just know it.
Prudishness, plain and simple.
Yeah, because I don’t care to expose myself to the world, nor do i wish to see someone ELSE doing it, I’m a prude.
Yeah…that’s it.
Uh…We need the space for parking?
Hey, some people SHOULD be arrested for some of the clothes they wear!
However, you nailed your own point here.
“The only time something becomes illegal in public is when it is deemed to cause unreasonable discomfort to others…”
I would think that certain people would find open public sex as unreasonable and extremely discomforting. Prudes certainly would but so would parents of young children, jealous wives or husbands, certain religious people, people trying to abstain from sex, people who recently broke up from a relationship, people who hate sex, people who love sex but cant have any for the moment, people trying to eat, people who may want to join, homosexual people disgusted by straight sex…
there are so many varied people that might have serious and reasonable objections to being forced to experience other peoples nookie that it is made illegal to do in public. However if you get implied consent (by selling tickets for example) then its not illegal. Its called a show. That touches on other legal grounds but that would be a hijack.
I don’t know why it is illegal, but it makes it more fun.
:twitch: :twitch:
Hijack or no, here’s a reflexive link from today’s Globe & Mail:
Live sex show goes off without hitch
Yeah, Larry, that’s the show I saw on the news that got me thinking about this. So let’s say sex anywhere isn’t a great idea, but how about in public places where there aren’t likely to be people who don’t know what they’re getting themselves in for (say, for example, they bought tickets to a live sex show).
Right. It’s prudishness to not want to have people squirting possibly nasty, disease-ridden bodily fluids in public places (and if you aren’t squirting bodily fluids, you aren’t doing it right).
Well, personally my vote goes to “Not wanting to explain to a 2 year old what those two people are doing.” coupled with “Please keep your bodily fluids to yourself.” topped off with a big helping of “I don’t even want to see most folks in swimwear, let alone shluping each other, thankyouverymuch.”