Dog walkers, calling for an end to cruising on Hampstead Heath, clash with gay activists who claim the site is part of their cultural heritage

Campaigners lobbying for an end to cruising on Hampstead Heath have clashed with gay activists who claim the site is part of their cultural heritage.

The West Heath area of the park has been a well-known cruising spot, where gay men meet for anonymous sex, since the 19th century when homosexuality was illegal.

Now local campaigners are urging dog walkers to “reclaim” the area by encouraging them to walk their pets through the zone. Signs have also been placed around the North London park stating: “This is not a cruising ground,” while another reads: “Cruising for sex? Homosexuality is legal. Use a hook-up app like Grindr or Sniffies and get a room.”

However, a group of gay rights activists have organised a demonstration against moves to clamp down on cruising, arguing the signs “embolden homophobes.”

The gay protesters’ leader Dan Glass told the New Camden Journal: “It’s homophobic, it’s saying that queer people can’t do what is legally and rightfully theirs, to have public displays of affection.”

Pictures on social media showed the “sodomites’ march,” with several protesters baring their bottoms while posing by what they referred to as “the f*** tree.”

They waved banners reading “Take me to the f*** tree” and “Release the pups.”

Mr Glass added: “These posters, whilst on the one hand they are ridiculously hilarious, they’re also very dangerous – and it’s dangerous the culture that they perpetuate. I want to explain to the people who made the posters how deeply concerning it is what they have done.

“They embolden homophobes and that makes us so far from freedom in our community. Cruising is often for people who don’t have access to a community. It is a life-saving thing and a vital part of building a community for people who have none.”

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, while sexual activity in public toilets remains an offence, sex in other public places is not—provided it is unwitnessed and there is not a reasonable chance of members of the public seeing what is happening. If witnessed, individuals could face charges of outraging public decency.

Hampstead Heath is famously known for its cruising areas, and even celebrities have admitted to encounters there. Singer George Michael openly admitted cruising on the heath, telling the Richard and Judy Show in 2006 that it was “the only place where (the police accept it) so it’s generally a safe place.”