The Times recently ran a piece (£) on posters that had appeared around Hampstead Heath, urging dog walkers to "Take back" the area used by gay men for cruising.
"Use a hook up app like Grindr or Sniffies & get a room," wrote the snarky culprit — apparently ignorant of the fact that cruising is legal, and that it's been happening here for over two centuries.
The so-to-speak dog whistle posters (which, as it happens, violate a City of London Corporation rule against flyposting) instantly met with fightback from the local community, one gay man telling the Times: "We were here first."
That pushback is now stepping up a gear, with a 'Sodomites Walk' organised for Sunday 2 March 2025. Organised by ACT UP London and This is My Culture, the walk — open to anyone supporting the cause — invites attendees to "stay late, have fun, get cruisy, bring placards, banners, friends, lovers".
Says ACT UP London/This is My Culture activist, and event organiser, Ian Johns: "The gay cruising area on a very small part of the Heath has been our special meeting place for probably over 200 years. As George Michael (a lover of cruising on the Heath) said when apprehended by journalists late one night: 'This is my Culture'.
"Cruising is our right and we will be walking all over our queer ground this Sunday in solidarity. We ain't going nowhere!"
Sodomites Walk, Hampstead Heath, meet at Jack Straws Castle at 12pm
