Cruise control: The battle for Hampstead Heath

It’s Sunday, March 2, and, as the brilliant early spring sunshine melts the frost on the ground, around 30 activists dedicated to the cause of sexual freedom have gathered on Hampstead Heath to satirically reopen the park as a gay cruising spot. A thin golden ribbon is cut — or rather, burned with a lighter, as nobody has any scissors.

This is the start of the Sodomites’ Walk  — a protest march held to defend the right to have sex with strangers on the heath. In February, anonymous posters appeared, encouraging “dog walkers and residents” to “take back West Heath” in bold capital letters. Underneath was a map of the heath, a red blob over the area known as the West Heath, with the words “this is not a cruising ground” written in its centre. “You are encouraged to walk in the red area,” it said. “Cruising for sex? Homosexuality is legal. Use a hook up app like Grindr or Sniffies and get a room.”  

Just 24 hours after they went up, the posters were gone, pulled down by local residents. But who put them there? And, more importantly, what did they hope to achieve?