CRUISING

Lamp posts on Sackville Street, between Briar Street and Brunswick Street. Halifax, NS.

cruising

/ˈkro͞oziNG/

the action or practice of wandering about a place in search of a casual sexual partner.

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Cruising has long been regarded as an immoral act by much of the [conservative] public but truthfully, this coded method of seeking out community holds within it many complex realities. Born in part from shame and fear, 2SLGBTQIA+ people met in the nighttime hours seeking a connection and a community. A desire so strong that new ways of moving and connecting in a heteronormative world were created, kept, and shared between pockets of queer people. This quote is taken from an article titled “Sex in Park Complaints Investigated” in The Mail-Star by Eva Hoare (August 13th 1994). It highlights the cyclical effects of homophobia intertwining societal queerphobia, lack of safety, the pushing of queer people to engage more underground, and then undergoing greater surveillance.