A gay elected official in New York is sounding the alarm after a series of arrests at a Penn Station bathroom has reignited memories of a painful chapter in queer history. Last week, the City revealed that the Amtrak Police Department — a federal police force that operates outside New York City’s sanctuary laws — has been conducting sting operations in a Penn Station restroom.
The bathroom was listed as a “hotspot” on the queer hookup app Sniffies. Since June 1, more than 200 arrests have been made for public lewdness, and at least 20 men are now in ICE custody. State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a gay lawmaker running for Manhattan borough president, condemned the arrests. He told Out, “These arrests harken back to the dark days of trapping gay men and other members of the community in public spaces like restrooms. … Add to that toxic mix, ICE, and the Trump administration’s efforts to round up undocumented New Yorkers.
It was a rather frightening callback to a period that we thought had long passed in queer American history.” Hoylman, along with Representative Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Liz Krueger, and Assembly Member Tony Simone, sent a letter on Friday to Amtrak President Roger Harris demanding that the sting operations end. Hoylman confirmed Harris has agreed to meet with them.
Separately, City Council members Erik Bottcher and Tiffany Cabán also pressed Amtrak for answers, calling the reports “deeply alarming violations of civil rights, due process, and protections against discriminatory policing.” Legal experts say the crackdown represents a broader attack on queer life. The controversy has raised questions about how far federal policing should go — and whether New York is seeing a dangerous return to tactics once used to entrap queer men during the McCarthy era.
