There will be a number of nervous politicians today in the wake of the David Campbell scandal. Not that anyone should be surprised.
The NSW transport minister resigned from his ministerial post last night after a Channel Seven news crew filmed him coming out of a well-known Sydney gay sauna, Ken’s at Kensington. The media is reveling in revealing each sordid detail of the sexual activity inside.
It appears that the justification of outing Campbell was that he used his ministerial car to journey to and from the gay sex on premises venue. However under NSW parliament rules Campbell has full rights to the car, including private travel.
The fact that the Seven crew stalked the gay sauna waiting like vultures to attack their prey has sent shivers down the back of other politicians who lead double lives.
What I would like to know is who dobbed Campbell in and told Seven he would be frequenting the gay sauna? Surely not the good folk at Ken’s at Kensington?
There is a time-honored code within the NSW sex industry to never reveal customers’ identities as doing so would be a serious breach of privacy. It would also be the death knell of the sex venue concerned as no one would ever return for fear of being outed.
Back in 2007 I reported for Crikey about the code and that I knew the names of five current and former NSW pollies that frequented brothels and sex on premises venues. Campbell was one of them.
Ian, the owner of Sydney’s leading gay brothel Knight Call Male Escorts told Crikey this morning that bi-sexual married men marry for the sake of their family, thus living a double life.
“They can use a brothel to release their gay needs. In turn this may decrease the amount of divorces relating to finding out your husband is gay”, he said.
He said most of the bi-sexual married men were in the 40-plus age bracket and came from a variety of backgrounds, including high-end leaders in the corporate world, movie stars and entertainers.
He also mentioned that many were from TV stations. We dare not mention their names…
Update: Originally in this article Ken’s at Kensington was referred to as a brothel. This is not true, it is a sex on premises venue.
Chris – you refer to Ken’s as a brothel. It isn’t.
Are you ACTUALLY saying that as well as making use of Sex on Premises Venues, that Campbell ALSO frequented brothels and paid for sex – as distinct for paying to be on premises where you can have non-commercial sex?
If you’re happy to breach the “code” by outing Campbell as a client of a brothel, why not out the other 4 – and mention the names of the reporters etc.
This deserves a nomination for the Wankleys mate.
Bernard your so right. Chris in your haste to jump on this bandwagon you’ve got it completely wrong. Your point about a ‘code of silence’ may also apply to sex venues but still…. get it right.
I thought the NSW Parliament was known as the “Bear Pit”…
I back up the above comments Kens is not a brothel. By stating it’s a brothel, it appears that he paid for sex. It is a sex on premises venus
Sex industry premises comprise premises where sexual acts or sexual services
are provided, and sex on premises venues. These include:
(i) Brothels;
(ii) Safe house brothels for street-based sex workers;
(iii) Sex on premises venues;
(iv) Swingers clubs; and
(v) Bondage and discipline parlours.
Sex Industry Premises are:
Premises used for sex between clients but where sex services do not take place in exchange for payment (such as sex on premises venues, swingers clubs).
Swingers’ clubs and gay saunas (where an entrance fee is charged) are classed in the same category as brothels and sex-on-premises venues, all of which require the council’s consent.