Placard making ahead of the walk on Hampstead Heath

WATCH OUR POLITICS CHANNEL, PEEPS, ON YOUTUBE

CRUISERS will hit back over the “get a room” posters found plastered across Hampstead Heath with a colourful protest walk on Sunday.

The anonymous messages urging dog walkers not to be deterred from using parts of the common land drew national media attention after appearing in the West Heath area last week.

They said that gay cruisers who have used the spot for decades should instead “use a hook-up app like Grindr or Sniffies”.

The posters were quickly ripped down and now the This Is My Culture group, which runs annual queer cruising parties on Hampstead Heath, has told how there will be a show of force on Sunday.

“The Sodomites Walk” will be headed by Dan Glass, the queer historian and activist. The group has its suspicions about the authors of the posters and are curious how your average “dog walker” would know about more niche gay cruising apps like Sniffies – which is fairly new.

Mr Glass said the posters were “ridiculously hilarious,” but also represent something that is “very dangerous” to the cruising community.

He added: “We hope that lots of people will turn up. We plan to walk the perimeter of the ‘no cruising zone’ looking fabulous, making new friends, eating food, maybe having a picnic and listening to music.

“Some people will be cruising, will be having sex and there will be quite a lot of snogging. It’ll be a lot of fun bursting these stigmas of othering and homophobia. It will be a display of queer love, intimacy and affection.”

He 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.”

Cruising – the act of seeking out a sexual partner in a public place – has been taking place on the Heath since the 19th century and is known as one of the most popular cruising areas in the country.

The late pop star George Michael admitted to using Hampstead Heath for cruising, and the space has now become popular among his fans as well.

Mr Glass said: “It’s rather anal – to use a better word, when there is a huge woodland and park available and cruisers use a tiny proportion of the area. It’s homophobic, it’s saying that queer people can’t do what is legally and rightfully theirs, to have public displays of affection. We’re not saying that people should be having sex everywhere, in front of children, families or picnic goers, absolutely not. But cruising has been something that has been so precious to our community for centuries.

“Our community has been pushed to the margins of society, so these spaces are so rare and important. So in response to this dismissive snobbery, we’re going to do what the queer community does best, which is use humour, power, satire to make a stand.”

Patrick Braithwaite, This Is My Culture organiser, said: “It represents for us a defiant message back that as queer people we are not ashamed of cruising. We’re not going to allow the space to be taken away or made to feel shame about it.

“What’s the best thing we can do when we’re being told not to cruise? Bring a load of queers down and go cruising.”

The group welcomes anyone – friends, supporters, cruisers and die-hard George Michael fans – to meet at 12pm at Jack Straws Castle to walk the perimeter of the “no cruising zone” on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages Hampstead Heath as a registered charity, said: “Hampstead Heath is one of London’s most cherished green spaces. It is a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation and home to a rich variety of wildlife and habitats.

“We manage the Heath as a charity, and are committed to balancing conservation, maintaining public access, and the safety of all visitors. We want to ensure it remains a welcoming space for everyone and encourage all visitors to use the Heath respectfully and considerately.

“We are actively taking a partnership-based approach to promote positive behaviour and community safety.”