When I found out about the "D.L." hookup parks, I discovered they're not so "down low" afterall. Most of the people I talked to, who have lived in Abilene most of their lives and are between the ages of 20 and 40, had heard about men hooking up in certain parks. The elderly population, however, had heard nothing of the sort. Now, HIV resource workers will tell you that men aren't the only ones secretly getting it on at these public attractions. The act is supposedly happening among men and women as well as teenagers.
It may be taking place among all demographics, but I, on the other hand, observed a far more obvious turnout of men than any other group at the parks. I can only assume the "park-goers" I saw were men-seeking-men. The term "obvious" is not mindlessly expressed. Here is what I saw at Kirby Park...
Our chief photographer and I arrived at the park a little after 3 IN THE AFTERNOON on a TUESDAY. There were 3 vehicles parked near each other, all occupied by men. Keep in mind, Kirby Park has no playground or walking trail. It's simply a couple of picnic tables, a creek, and trees. The men all stared at us with a seemingly fierce ardor. A couple more male-occupied vehicles showed up. They stared at us as well. One man got out of his vehicle and stood leaning against a truck with his hand on his hip, staring at us, nonetheless. The stares of EVERY man there (and trust me, there were only men there) were without falter. The INSTANT we got the camera out, off they went--immediately fleeing the scene. Again, having not spoken to the men, I can only account what I saw. Since intentions are not tangible, I cannot spell out for you what those men had in mind that day. All I know is this--During the 3 o'clock hour of a Tuesday afternoon, men were sitting in their vehicles at a rumored "d.l." hookup park, staring at us. When a camera was in sight, they all fled. I'll let you decide what to make of this situational algarithm. And, yes, sources have told me that more MARRIED men are reportedly having secret sexual encounters with other men. To those men: Do your unsuspecting wives a favor, and **INTERRUPTING THOUGHT: Momma always said, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."**--nevermind.
There are several other parks in town rumored to be hot spots for said behavior. Some of the ones I have heard of include, Sea Bee Park and Goodlow Park.
Am I trying to out the gay community of Abilene? Absolutely not. We are all equal. I am, however, okay with ousting anyone--gay or straight--for having illegal, unprotected sex in public places. At least go to dinner or coffee first. At the very least, get a motel room. Above all, use protection. That's what I wanted my story to be about. Despite the fact that so much scandalous behavior is going on, what really matters is saving lives. That's what the fine men and women working to raise AIDS awareness here in Abilene are doing--saving lives, one condom at a time.
Thoughts?
Meg
The title of your article is "claiming" a fact that your article did not support.
ReplyDeleteWow. I don't even know where to start...
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I couldn't agree more with the person that commented before this. You have absolutely no reliable sources to back your story. The only other people that appeared in your segment on the news tonight other than the man that worked for Big Country Aids awareness were two elderly people who you claim "had heard nothing of the sort" in your blog post. If these people had no information on the subject you were investigating, why on earth would you interview them, let alone include them in the segment on the nightly news? If you are going to report on a subject of this magnitude, and do it well, it only makes sense to start by getting some namable sources or even witnesses. At the very least, tell where these rumors originated from...
Second off, I don't know how you could tell that the men "staring" so ferociously at you from their cars were meeting to have explicit, unprotected, adulterous sex. How do you know that they didn't go to coffee or grabbed a bite to eat before they got there? Your entire report is based on assumptions and suspicion. I am not saying that none of this is actually taking place, but I would not believe it from the so-called evidence you provided tonight.
I recall when I first saw the commercial a few days ago that you made premiering the subject you covered tonight. If I remember correctly, you claimed that the number of Abilene residents infected with AIDS was on the incline and how married men were "hooking up" with other men in children-populated public areas (apparently we don't know if these other men are married or not..). I was shocked at the abruptness of your commercial and the wording you used.. not a good and intrigued kind of shock, more like a "I really hope kids are not watching this channel" kind of shock. After watching your segment and reading your blog, it seems like there are still pieces of the puzzle missing. You yourself said that Kirby Park does not have a playground or walking trail or anything.. so I highly doubt that children are found there on a regular basis. You also failed to enclose any sort of statistics about the amount of people with AIDS before this huge scandal as you call it evolved compared to the amount now. If we do not have hard facts like that, how do we know it is true?
As far as the segment shown on the news a little earlier tonight, it was almost funny. For a second I thought I was watching a dramatic skit on SNL. There were clips of the supposed areas that men were "hooking up" that included a close up of some sort of weed/plant and a river. Not too long after that there were short close ups of a rope tied around a rafter on the roof of a picnic area and a damaged candy cane stuck in a wooden pole holding up of the same picnic area. As those images were flashing, I think you were saying how it was obvious that this was a location where men were having sex. Really??? You could just tell by that rope and candy cane and the word BUTT sketched on the floor??? Okay, ya, that makes total sense...
Frankly, there are so many more things that could be said, but I have probably already spent more time critiquing your report than you actually spent investigating it. I hope you didn't spend too much time on this, because that was definitely time wasted. At least one good thing came out of your segment- it affirmed my reasoning for never watching Abilene's local news.. or any local news really. If it weren't for my sister having it on, I would have never even seen it...
One more thing. The title of your blog says Meg's Mantra's. Shouldn't it be Meg's Mantras, without the second word being possessive? Just thought somebody should say it...
Would you expect anyone to stay around when you get out a camera? I would leave too if I saw some random lady pulling out a camera at a park, regardless of what I was doing there... Does that make me a participant in illicit sex in a public place?
ReplyDeleteJust be happy they gave you a photographer... I see too many stories where the poor reporter is trying to shoot and interview at the same time
ReplyDeleteI don't care what bad things people have to say, This deffently opens you eyes and makes you think. That is for sure!
ReplyDeletejust think their in church with youn every sunday
ReplyDeleteand act like christans. all the abilene libirarys
have a lot of gays the city link bus station has
people that work in the staion and a lot of them
are their all the time the more we pray the more
they survice.
The part that is the most scary is.... that they go home to their wife or whom ever, and are passing a sentience that the unknowing person will have to live with. I have heard of such parks in Abilene and have steered clear of them. Would hate to know that a family with kids could stumble across this at anytime. It is not something I would want my children to see. Nor is it something i would be happy to learn being a wife or husband of someone that has been running around in the park!
ReplyDeleteMegan, So glad that you did this story for one... And yes those men that were there at the park at the time that you and your camara man were there to do your story were most likely trying to get together and have their fun before going home to the unexpected wife.... It is ridiculous that the men out in the communty are doing this to their wives.... I for one, not married, have been known to frequent that park and meet other men and yes 90% of them ARE married.... The parks are not the only areas out there, watch the gyms as well...
ReplyDeleteOh...and also...if they really wanted tasteless, go check out your local cragslist in the personals. You could have shown that but had better judgment.
ReplyDeleteI can't stop snickering. The people who were negative about this story are so obviously guilty. That's almost always the case......
ReplyDeleteI have seen this happening since the early 70's at Kirby ( I believe thats why they took out the playground stuff and never replaced it), Willhair, and Seebee parks. It happens at the YMCA's in the saunas, and the main library bathrooms (it slowed for awhile when AIDS was reported in the media). It used to happen alot at Rose park, but the police raided at least once that I remember mid 70's or early 80's that restroom was shutdown. Now we have craig's list some with pictures and phone numbers, plus some webites that tell you where the best cruising spots are. I have no problem with unattached people (gay or straight) hooking up, but not those in relationships. Sex in public places is a no-no for everyone. People this is not safe for you or the people you care about. Blessed Be
ReplyDeleteGood work Megan, and I'm looking forward to the follow-up on tonights news
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but I am the ex-wife of a frequenter of Kirby Park in the late 80's. I was unaware during our brief marriage that he was 'hooking up' at Kirby Park with a man 30 years older than we were. As a matter of fact, this man had several late teen to early twentysomething boys always having 'coffee' with him. It wasn't uncommon to see this guys pick up at Kirby then either. I did think something was 'odd'. It's one thing to be gay and quite another to be preying on teenage boys or having extramarital affairs with the same sex. After we seperated, my suspicions were affirmed and I went to get tested for STD's and HIV........that was 20 years ago...and I know there are women (or men) out there who aren't so lucky after risque encounters.
ReplyDeleteTo Megan, you did a very tasteful job in this report, if you wanted something that would really shock people, you could have easily gotten it. The video you showed was for sure much more discreet that it could have been if you would have gone early on a Saturday or Sunday morning, there would be wads of Kleenex and condoms all over the place to take pictures of.
ReplyDeleteTo the people that are dogging you, especially the ones that are mad because you did this report, be glad that Megan did not stick around awhile. She would have had no problem getting all the pictures she wanted, and she could have outed quite a few guys, and maybe a few of the gals that visit the parks.
What will become of this…maybe some new traffic in the parks, maybe a few will be scared away for awhile, and maybe some new people will come looking to see what all the excitement is about. The reason people go to public places for sex it is a rush, a high to experience the risk of being seen. The bottom line is this…if you meet someone that you want to have sex with, that is your own personal business – but when you decide to have sex in a public place, you risk health and freedom, just get a room or go somewhere private.
A single Gay Man
This part did not post to the above comment
ReplyDeleteOK…I can speak from experience that, yes, there is sex going on in that park, and well, really all the parks, and for the most part just about anywhere you want to go. The only part that I disagree with is the number of married men that go to the park. Are there married men there, of course, but the number is much much lower than some are saying here. The vast majority of the regulars are not married. If you want to report on places people are having sex, this story would go on forever, and it is not limited to parks
A Single Gay Man
The title of your article was "Hooking up in public places to blame for HIV/AIDS rise ..." was exactly how KRBC posted your article.
ReplyDeleteYour headline should have been stated as a question --- but instead, it makes a "claim" that your article does not support.
To debate with me that it is not a "claim" but just a "headline" ... You are absolutely right, it was "just" a headline that was meant to be sensational.
Megan Dobbs is just another extreme right wing, religious fanatic, paranoid, homophobe that will sensationalize anything she can in the name of putting a story out there that is designed to harm a specific group of people. There is more evidence that aliens landed in New Mexico than there is of these men being at the park for sex. This type of journalism is parallel with the journalism of tabloids. See, Megan? You DO have a future.
ReplyDeleteWow, I was expecting so much more from this story. I heard about in a law class and figured it was worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it was not worth the time to read, follow up, or catch this blog.
The title did not match the content of this story. While this story might have merit in some cases, Megan you fell short of reporting any news. Yes you gave an account what YOU saw, but where is the proof?
Truly we must have left a time of innocent until proven guilty. But I guess the "fact" that you saw these men and they dared to stare back is all the proof you need.
Why weren't the measure being taken by AIDS Resources explored? More facts from this source would have added more credibility.
Finally, the only reason I decided to comment, is that you seem to take criticism badly. Another sign of a poor reporter.
I live pretty close to Kirby Park and have been suspicious about it and frankly a little nervous knowing that it's so close to an elementary school. No one has asked the obvious question: where are the police? I have called my city councilperson and they gave me a very vague answer. What are the police doing about this very real danger? Why was that not investigated? Are they afraid of being labeled homophobic? That's a rhetorical question, of course. Liberalism is a mental disorder.
ReplyDeleteOnly in Abilene can a rumor 'Men meeting in the Park for Sex' be a news story. You had no proof instead all you had was people telling rumors so you could use sensational headlines to get viewers. Sounds more like the National Enquirer. How about sticking to real news where you have the information to back it up?
ReplyDeleteFirst off it is not a rumor..you even saw someone blog that they actually have been there and done that. Second some people need to open their eyes and see what's in their own back yard. To me it's just like with everything else..you have the right to turn the channel..don't read the post..look the other way and not participate..but with everything people always have to be critical..rather they are one this side of the fence or the other.
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteGood for you -- you focused on an issue that needs to be known. Folks like me who are new to Abilene now know that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to take the dogs for a walk at some of the parks in the evenings and on weekends!
Moreover, Abilene needs to get a grip on the fact that "holy matrimony" is not a guarantee of fidelity and sexual safety. Sometimes it's a cover for an alternative lifestyle. Women need to protect themselves.