It is interesting to consider the parallels between gay and straight "hookups". In someplace like a US airport, there is almost no possibility of a casual sexual encounter between a man and a woman either being started or consumated in a restroom, just by the nature of airport restrooms. But there is a very high probability of such a straight encounter being started in a bar, ticket line, or waiting area, and then later being consumated in a private place like a hotel room or (rarely) an airplane restroom during a flight. Would anyone get arrested if such a hookup occurred between members of the same sex? Probably not.
It is not really fair to compare vice squad trolling in restrooms with their anti-prostitution stings. Prostitution is all about the money, prostitutes can be male, female, (or someplace inbetween!) looking to service either gay or straight customers. But the stories about Craig never mentioned any actual prostitution occurring in the airport restrooms. I don't really know much about the t-room scene. Do some or most of these trysts involve somebody getting paid, or are they just for the fun of it?
As for prostitution, I have mixed feelings: There is a reasonable free-market consenting adult arguement for legalization, but I don't want to get hit on by hookers all over the streets, malls, parks, etc. Maybe the best compromise is to make it legal but restricted to a limited number of adult venues. (Amsterdam comes to mind.) So at airports, there could be pickup bars with nearby japanese-style micro hotel rooms that rent by the hour. If you meet somebody while waiting for a late flight, and are both so inclined, off you go to the micro hotel. Looking for paid companionship? Start in the gay or straight side of the bar. Limiting the pros to the bar keeps the kids out of it, and anybody making a lewd scene out in the public areas gets arrested.
