Bloomington / Monroe County Public Library / cruising block (#0278)

Monroe County public library, which was surprisingly good considering how many residents had access to the libraries at the university that was only 4 blocks away.

But, the story here, is not about the library but a story of 80’s gay culture and the police. One of the ways for gay men to easily meet other gay men (plus some closeted men) in those days, was cruising the block around the library in the evening. What was interesting was that when the local police drove around the library, the cruisers didn’t scurry into hiding. Why? Because the police were open about being there to protect gays from the occasional incidence of straights showing up to harass the men that were cruising – a relationship between police and gays that’s very rare.