GAY SA ARTIST GUILTY OF EXHIBITIONISM

An openly gay South African artist who put on a semi-nude public performance piece in Paris last year has been found guilty of sexual exhibitionism.

In September 2013, the controversial Steven Cohen caused a stir when he performed the piece in a corset and platform shoes at the Place du Trocadero in the French capital.

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in front of throngs of tourists, Cohen had a rooster tied to his exposed penis, with the bird ‘leading him’ around the square. He was arrested by police and released later that day.

While the court found him guilty on Monday, he did not receive any penalties despite a request by prosecutors that he be fined. This was because his actions were not deemed sexual and because no complaints had been made against him, reported AFP.

“What I did was art (that) had nothing to do with sexuality,” Cohen told the court.

At the time he explained that his work was “about being pulled in many directions simultaneously” and said that if found guilty he would rather be jailed than pay a fine.

Cohen, 51, who now lives in France, is known for his disturbing and outrageous public performance pieces, including appearing with a lit sparkler in his exposed rear.