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Toilet love >> Kevin Crombie takes PC out of the WC by MATTHEW HAYS
"Toilet sex is universally looked down upon," says Crombie, who moved to Montreal four years ago. "There are all sorts of stereotypes about the people who do it--closeted and married--but it's not true. It's a form of sexual expression for many different people." Crombie, who then worked full time as a journalist, was also dismayed by the reaction of Halifax's gay community itself. "We got no support from the gay community at all for our outreach project. Gay men still saw it as a dirty little secret, like something that would hurt our public image. They didn't see it as a legitimate form of sexual expression." Now enrolled in the Masters of communication studies program at Concordia University, Crombie is creating a work of installation art around bathroom sex for his project requirement. "It really struck me that the way in which we talked about sex in the 19th century hasn't really changed in the 20th century, despite an alleged sexual revolution. Why are there still some forms of sexual expression that we condemn?" Crombie's installation, which will be unveiled this summer, will take the form of a 19th-century museum exhibit. "I wanted to present the artifacts and a journal around bathroom sex, as though it had been discovered and documented by a Victorian explorer." As for why some gay men continue to hanker for toilet sex despite the obvious risks involved--as George Michael did last year--Crombie has several theories. "I think it's about the very thrill of getting caught. It's also a feeling of belonging to a secret club of people doing something outside the realm of polite society. "My boyfriend is somewhat horrified by this, because every time I speak publicly everyone will think we're both out having bathroom sex."
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When Kevin Crombie lived in Halifax five years ago, he was horrified to hear stories about gay men being harassed by police for cruising public washrooms. He and several other gay men set about researching the rights of those who'd been caught. Then they created an outreach program, in which they distributed brochures explaining to people exactly what their rights were if apprehended.