October 16, 2009 | Sex & Society

53-year-old 'prostitute' fights back

Robert Pinter isn't going down without a fight. The 53-year-old New Yorker has filed a  federal lawsuit against New York City officials after being arrested for engaging in prostitution.

Pinter is arguing that his civil rights were violated by the arrest. Police, he claims, were deliberately targeting the gay community, trying to harass "undesirable” businesses where consensual sex between adults was taking place.

“The actions taken against the plaintiff in targeting him, entrapping him, arresting him, taking him into custody, and otherwise detaining him and prosecuting him were taken for collateral objectives other than the legitimate objectives associated with an arrest and prosecution,” Pinter attorney James I. Meyerson stated in his brief to the court.

Pinter had been arrested after following a younger man out of a bar. The man, an undercover officer, offered Pinter $50 for a blowjob; Pinter claims had no interest in the money, just the sex.  Although he pled guilty to a lesser charge, the convictions were eventually overturned.

With fifty other men being arrested under similar circumstances since 2004, attorneys expect more lawsuits will be filed. This "cleansing" of New York by any means has to stop. More Vegas, less Disney, please.

Gay Man Strikes Back at New York City Prostitution Sting [GayVN]