Police on the Caribbean island of Dominica have arrested two California men for having sex on an Atlantis-chartered cruise ship that had docked in the island nation.
John Hart and Dennis Mayer were on board, er, playing horizontal shuffleboard when they were spied by someone on land who fetched a constable. The police boarded the ship and arrested Hart and Meyer for indecent exposure and “buggery,” which is technically illegal on the island.
The two men, who are both from California, are scheduled to appear before a magistrate this morning and face a $370 fine and up to six months in jail.
The bigot-indulging Dominica News Online (DNO) reports:
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Some eyewitnesses claim to have seen what they described as sexual activity taking place on the ship said to be carrying only male cruise passengers. One hair braider told DNO that she was “mentally disturbed, [this is the] first time I am seeing that in my life.”
“It’s wrong, it’s dirty. They can’t do that so publicly. They need to respect us and our land,” another angry onlooker said.
Atlantis was last in the news in early February, when a passenger went overboard off the Mexican coast in an apparent suicide. In 2011, a West Hollywood drug dealer was arrested when an Atlantis cruise docked in St. Thomas..
Atlantis Events President Rich Campbell, who was aboard the cruise, told the AP he expects Mayer and Hart to be released today, and, surprisingly, that he would happily book another stop in Dominica. “Many countries and municipalities that gay men visit and live in have antiquated laws on their books,” he said. “These statutes don’t pose a concern to us in planning a tourist visit.”
Um, maybe they should? Spending a night in jail in the Lesser Antilles may not be Midnight Express but it’s not a walk in the park, either.
Photo via Celebrity Cruises
the crustybastard
Why would a gay charter dock at a gay-hostile destination?
Mikel D McGrew
It’s quite simple – the cruise line simply states it will no longer dock in the Dominican Republic unless the men are freed and returned safely home. The loss of tourist income will overcome the upset of one hung up lady.
Tom in Lazybrook
@the crustybastard: Rich Campbell schedules those stops all the time. On this cruise, the ship stopped in Grenada, where two Gay locals were arrested for the ‘crime’ of consensual sex between non-related adults. Atlantis apparently has no problem feeding dollars to anti-Gay bigots in Grenada, St Lucia, Russia, and other ports. I don’t know why Atlantis keeps putting his passengers at risk. As a participant on this exact cruise last year, we stopped in St Lucia. I was horrified to discover that St Lucia is an extremely anti-Gay nation and stayed on the boat while it was in port.
Furthermore, when this cruise stopped in St Lucia last year, I did not hear any warning about the fact that being gay in St Lucia was illegal from anyone at Atlantis or the cruise operator.
Rich, please stop endangering your passengers and feeding the tourism economies of nations that hate Gay people. You may also wish to cancel that trip to St Petersburg scheduled for this summer.
Tom in Lazybrook
Oh, and the arrests happened in Dominica not the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is largely okay on Gay issues. Dominica, a separate nation, is a cesspool.
the crustybastard
@Tom in Lazybrook: Rich Campbell schedules those stops all the time….You may also wish to cancel that trip to St Petersburg scheduled for this summer.
How about replacing that with an exotic trip to Uganda?
What the fuck?
Tom in Lazybrook
Here’s a list of approved Carribean ports for a Gay cruise
Labadee, Haiti – not much of a stop, but its okay. The entire rest of Haiti is ‘no go’
Any of the ports in the Dominican Republic (not Dominica)
St Maartin, St Barts, and St Martin
Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao
San Andres (a fabulous island), Cartegena, or Barranquilla in Colombia
Puerto Colon in Panama
Anywhere in the Yucatan in Mexico
Los Roques or Isla Margarita in Venezuela
Guadalupe or Martinique in the French West Indies.
The BVI, the USVI and Puerto Rico
Roatan in Honduras
Cuba is safe, but US citizens are effectively banned from travelling there.
Thats about it. Being Gay is illegal in Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis. In addition, while being Gay is technically legal in the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, the natives are hostile. There are crime problems in Bluefields Nicaragua and Puerto Limon Costa Rica.
jasiri
@Mikel D McGrew:
it’s not the Dominican republic. it’s Dominica. completely different country.
Tom in Lazybrook
Update….Joe my God is reporting that Atlantis President Rich Campbell is telling the press that he is willing to return to Dominica. Really, Rich?
Sy-Sy
The cruise management was aware of the laws of the country and it was their responsibilty to make evreyone on the cruise aware of these laws. Therefore, the country is not to be blamed and criticised but the management of the ship. The men were charged with indecent exposure not homosexuality. Isn’t indecent exposure still a crime in other countries? They were not having sex in their rooms but on their balcony. Would you like to have you child see that?
And let’s get the facts straight, you CAN see tourists on the cruise ship from the island. I know because I live there.
B
To really evaluate this story, we need a picture of the cruise ship at this dock.
Unless there are some multi-story buildings next to the ship, I’m not sure how
you’d see the couple if they were on deck – say, around a hot tub or swimming pool – given the size of these ships. If they were in their rooms (lower down) did someone peek through their window? The portholes don’t necessarily have window shades.
I’d say if they were obviously in sight of where pedestrians on shore were walking, charges were justified – fine them 10 dollars – but if they were in their room or if you needed a telescope to see them, arrest the person who reported them for being a peeping tom. I’d hope that, if they were doing it in a ‘public’ area of the ship, that area was designated for “playing” (it’s merely a manners thing – people on the ship who aren’t into that should be able to have a good time without being exposed to a group or semi-public sex scene by simply not going into areas reserved for people who do that sort of thing).
Curiously, I talked personally to several people who I know who were on the ship where the guy jumped (fell?) overboard, which just goes to show that it is a small world. One person quipped something like, “what happens on a gay cruise stays on a gay cruise,” leaving any details to everyone’s imagination, no matter how vivid. Apparently there was a hot tub with a “no sex rule” that was simply ignored by convention after midnight (or some time late at night). The result: people who just want to soak get to use it without having to watch an orgy, and people who want to be in an orgy don’t end up annoying people who just want to soak in the tub.
Tom in Lazybrook
@Sy-Sy: Sy-Sy. Dominica criminalizes homosexuality. It votes with Iran at the UN when it seeks to avoid condemnation for executing Gay people. Don’t try and pass Dominica off as anything other than some sorry cesspool of anti-Gay bigotry.
Sorry, I find it hard to find the actions of a nation who defends hanging people from cranes in the central squares of cities because they are Gay to be anything but dripping with anti-Gay animus. If you’d like more details of your nations’ hideous foreign policy, I suggest you contact your foreign ministry.
YU
Well actually if they were performing a sexual act outside of the privacy of a statement room, they deservred it. Amazes me that gay men still do the public sex thing.
Bill
@Tom in Lazybrook: Thank you. I appreciate the info. I’m taking all of the anti-gay spots off my vacation planning list
Rob
The morons in Dominica can’t even feed themselves or control violence on their cesspool island, and they’re worrying about a boy liking another boy or a girl liking another girl? LOL. You’d think they’d spend their scant resources on something more productive. Homosexuals around the world need to start taking WHATEVER actions are necessary to secure their human rights. It is patently unfair that gays and their families suffer from the devastating effects of discrimination, while the bigots leave their lives as if nothing has happened. Bigots need to be made to pay for their discriminatory actions. And shame on Celebrity Cruises and Atlantis for giving support to such a disgusting, backward society like Dominica or letting Dominican authorities on board the ship. And by the way, if those gay Americans are sent to jail, the judge, jailers, and politicians (and their families) that send them there, and Randy Rodney, should be attacked and people all over the world should attack Dominica citizens in their countries. Start with embassy personnel.
MiamiMIke
I go on an Atlantis cruise at least once a year. When the ships are “docked” and not tendered they pull up next to each other and it’s like a parking lot full of floatin apartment buildings with balconies. If you’re on your balcony having sex then everyone walking is going to see it and there are lots of people, including children, walking the docks. The guys shouldn’t have been doing this. Yeah it also sucks that I’m sure the island is homophobic and they got one on us. Rich needs to stay away from these places as well. I was on the first gay cruise to dock in Grand Cayman and we had screaming protesters as we drove in buses to our excursions. Wasn’t a great experience.
James
What I want to know is why are U.S. citizens being detained in this fashion. Where is their representation or is our government going to allow these two men to be railroaded. Further more All gay persons must start boycotting not only the hostile country’s but also the cruise company itself. Personally I would sue the shit out of the cruise company. If nothing else they have a moral obligation to protect the people who have paid them a large sum of money and entrusted themselves into their hands. All homosexual peopl and their friends family and general supporters need to stand up together and put an end to this disgusting display of hatred.
PS
1. If you’re having sex that is visible to the public, that’s indecent whether you’re heterosexual or not.
2. Atlantis Cruise should take a stand against countries that are overtly anti-LGBT. Remove them from the itinerary. Well, I guess that means not stopping in the USA for the time being… since we have DOMA and 30+ states that deny marriage equality.
Jonathonz
It’s such a bummer to think that even with all the advances we’re making in the US there are places close by that I might be thrown in jail just for being there with my boyfriend. Dominica sounds like such a beautiful island…I guess I’ll have to wait until I can visit there safely…
Tom
I think quite often we Americans take for granted that other than Europe and a few second world Counties in South America, the bulk of the world is anti-gay. I’m very sympathetic for the two men arrested
Danny
Dominica has roughly seventy thousand (70,0000) residents. It really should no longer be acknowledged by the billions of gay people and their straight friends. Instead, it would be better to turn it into a giant uninhabitable parking lot in the middle of nowhere.
Rowan
@PS: @James: Um, why do you think that just because we’re US citizens we’re somehow immune to the laws of other countries when we visit them? It’s not like every foreigner ever gets diplomatic immunity. They broke the laws (and furthermore, in such a way that it would be illegal in the US, too, I should add). I’m sympathetic, but really the US doesn’t have much right to intervene.
Christopher Banks
Some gay men do live on another planet. They wander around in a little bubble of luxury, forgetting that a significant proportion of the world actually can legally harm us. What on earth was the cruise liner doing docking in places where homosexuality is illegal? Why weren’t the passengers better informed?
This penchant for luxury by some also extends to gay men waxing lyrical about Emirates Airlines, which is wholly owned by a country where gay men are imprisoned and flogged: http://bipolarbear.co.nz/2012/03/22/emirates-airlines-gay-homophobia/
Sam
There’s a slim possibility isn’t there, that these men weren’t really engaging in public sex & got arrested as a result of anti gay hysteria. There’s some reports the men were actually in their rooms with the drapes open.
Who knows what’s true but go on that website Dominica and even the native people there are skeptical. They’re like how could anyone see anything? It’s possible they were breaking laws or it’s possible not. They were a lot of people protesting the gay cruise line and were shocked to see so many men with one hair braider being particularly scandalized so even a gay kiss would probably give them the vapors
One of the guys arrested mother was quoted as saying the two men were having sex in their rooms and it may have been visible to passerbys. Who knows,==could be true or not. but a lot of people are quick to judgment. Maybe wait for the guys side of the story. Also the island did drop the buggery charge & they’re only facing indecency charge.
Eddie
“Second World”…Nonsense! There are the “first” and the “third” and I think, as it’s written below: “…take a moment to read the Queerty Policy”, it isn’t appropriate to call any place a ‘ cesspool ‘. I’m sure, people in Dominica have morals and don’t like to see two men engaged in public sex. I think if it had happened here in Brazil these two will be in trouble the same way… ( Pardon my English ).
Clockwork
>Tom in Lazybrook
Nice informative posting, thanks
Kev C
@Christopher Banks: “They wander around in a little bubble of luxury, forgetting that a significant proportion of the world actually can legally harm us.
They’re paying good money for a vacation. They should have some normal expectation of a safe and satisfactory trip. How many straight people walk around in a luxury bubble too? No other social groups have to worry about hiding their identity or modifying their behavior to such an extent.
Mikey
You know these two were caught having sex out in the open on a balcony, right? When is that ever OK? Bet they won’t be doing that anymore. #keepitattheeagle
Charli Girl
Yeah I agree with that. Those boys should’ve taken their business in their room!!!
And that stupid lil island needs to get in this century! Really being gay is illegal?
Whatever!! Dumbasses!
Above The Fold
@Tom in Lazybrook:
Gay Cruise are Welcome in Dominica, Sex in Public ( Gay or Straight)is not welcome in MOST Global Societies… Get the Facts Straight.. !!
Dominica is Not a Cesspool… http://avirtualdominica.com
Get the facts straight..
Jose
Yes why would they dock there and help the economy of a hostile nation?! When other nations are more welcoming. Now next time they have sex they should close their window blinds or equivalent while on the boat.
Sam
To me, the most outrageous part of this whole story is that Rich Campbell, a man who has made a fortune off of gay dollars and the gay community, is siding with a horrifyingly anti-gay country over two of his own customers. I have been on two Atlantis cruises in the past and this story would likely prevent me from going on one again. I definitely would never go on a Caribbean one again.
I was also on the cruise that was the first gay cruise back to the Caymans and while there were protestors, there was also the local chamber of commerce, welcoming us. I thought overall it was a positive experience. But this is different. This is two men being charged criminally for being gay. Rich really should have landed on their side on this one, even if they weren’t being model citizens. There’s no place in gay tourism for support of anti-sodomy laws.
Esor
It’s a shame this site uses such a silly journalistic style and such sarky language. For any serious media outlet, that would immediately raise alarm bells about credibility — which is a shame, given the importance of the issue.
In an internet era, a news source like this one should keep in mind that not all readers will be died-in-the-wool gays (i.e., people who already agree). If it has good leads on gay stories, it’s a real waste to present them in such an adolescent way.
Dominican Woman
Dear readers,
After reading some of your comments, I felt that i definitely had to respond as a Dominican woman, who accepts gays as people and works with them.
What ss most unfortunate about this incident, is the negativity that it being attached to Dominica. Yes, homosexuality is taboo in Dominica, however, Dominicans are a bunch of friendly, respectful people. Although the act of buggery, as it is called in Dominica is illegal, we do not condemn, harm or attack people because they are gay. What we ask is that they respect our laws and our country while being on the island.
We do not expect 2 grown consenting adults – straight or gay, to be engaged in public sexual acts – we are not talking holding hands or kissing.
Dominica is a very small island. The island is busy and the port where the cruise ship was docked is in the heart of the town and that area is always inhibited by adults and kids.
It’s is therefore, not far fetched to expect that if for some reason you are a passenger on a cruise ship, that you wouldn’t engage in public sexual acts, where the children, adults and everyone can see you; especially in a country where the act between persons of same sex is not allowed.
Come on – we as Dominicans may frown upon the life syle, but we definitely WILL NOT harm anyone simply for being GAY. We have a local gay celeb in Dominica – Tony Marco (Marco is the Dominican word for a homosexual). He has never been assaulted, harmed or violated for being gay, and the entire nation, knows that he is gay…It’s no secret.
People practice homosexuality in Dominica, although discreetly.
So, on behalf of the Dominican people, although homosexuality is taboo on our island, being a human being ranks first and foremost. We may not like the actions, but we definitely accept everyone as individuals.
So, to all the gay people who are scared on hearing about this story – we won’t harm you…we wont attack you!!!!!!! Dominica is a peacful nation. We are freindly, down to earth, unassuming people. We may be a bit judgmental – but that’s how human beings are many a times. What we WONT do, is attack anyone for their religious,sexual or other beliefs.
DO NOT BE SCARED TO COME TO DOMINICA! All that we ask, is that you, whether straight or gay, refrain from public sexual acts, or anything else that is illegal, while on our island.
thank you
Dominican Woman
Just so you know – they were always safe….. noone would attack them for being GAY
Tom in Lazybrook
@Tom: Not all of Europe is safe. Russia is a virulently anti-Gay country, where bands of skinheads run amok all over the streets beating up Gays. Moldova, Georgia, Serbia, parts of Croatia (especially Split), Montenegro, Albania, Belarus, and parts of Lithuania are also really bad news too.
RichB in PS
As arrest as described, question what was visible onboard ship and how is visible from land to ship? ‘All the details may not be known’ but something called ‘peeping’ comes to mind. On the flip side – these intelligent [business] men are from Palm Springs…where certain ‘acts’ have been proven illegal publically, some times discreetly and otherwise. I appreciate the message posted in No. 33 by Dominican Woman.
tazz602
What the hell is wrong with Atlantis Events?? I loved my cruise in 2010, but c’mon – you don’t dock in homophobic countries and help their economy when they pull shit like this.
Dominican Woman
Two cruise tourist from California were found guilty of indecent exposure when they appeared in a Roseau Magistrate’s court on Thursday.
They were charged for reportedly having sex on a cruise ship, Celebrity X Cruises, docked on the Roseau Bayfront.
John Robert Hart,41 and Dennis Jay Mayer 43 were both fined EC$2,400
The fines are to be paid immediately failing which they will each have to spend two months in jail.”
Update on the story……………. guess they were guilty – public disclosure.
To understand the reason they were charged is to understand how close the ship was to the city … I wish i could provide pictures to show you guys…
Jose Ramon
Try and kindle THE HELLESPONT when you are on a gay cruise. Or if you go to Morocco FLYING LOBSTERS AND MAGUC TAGINES!
Princess D
@Rob: listen to me you moron! even if they were homosexuals, it was wrong! wrong to have themselves indecently exposed on a balcony of a cruise ship where locals and children saw! it is also wrong to conduct sexual acts in plain view of locals and again children! no matter who they are it is wrong! what is wrong with you..open your pea brain an realize doing something in the privacy of your own home and doing something in plain view of the public is totally different…besides don’t come and act like you can do those things in your own country in public. In any country you will get arrested, so don’t condone what they did knowing that if they were to do it in their own country they wouldn’t get arrested..oh please stop with the moronic offended affronting and obviously neurotic thinking and get a clue. They are arrested for indecent exposure, not arrested for being gay..stupes.
Sam
Other stories state they were in their stateroom but the curtains were open. They pled guilty to indecent exposure not for having sex in public. I don’t think it’s wise for a gay cruise to stop at areas that arrest you for being gay and I’m expecting the cruise line to be sued by these two men.
Princess D
all i’m saying is stop being ignorant, whether they were heterosexuals or homosexuals, they should still be arrested for indecent exposure.
and don’t go sending personal attacks on people. if you want harm to come to other people, better be careful harm doesn’t come to you in the end…
Sam
I doubt very much that a heterosexual couple having sex in their rooms even with the blinds open, would be arrested so I think this has everything to do with them being gay men.
Tom in Lazybrook
I’m still looking for the camera phone shots of how close the ship is. Even Somalia has camera phones.
Perry's Grill
Why is this breaking news? They should have been arrested. Gays can’t just do what they want and expect to get away with it. I wish it had happened in Singapore so they could be canned. How’s that for some S&M action?
PS
Well, the “new news” is that they pleaded guilty, apologized to the court (a packed courtroom) because they got “caught up in the moment” with all of the beauty around, etc. The police then drove them to the airport.
Phil
I can’t say anything about the arrest without all the background info. They may or may not have been having sex in a public spot. If it was public, I doubt a straight couple would have been arrested for indecent exposure. I don’t think that Atlantis should be going places like Dominica where homosexuality is illegal.
matt
@Dominican Woman: I agree that if the facts as presented are true (that they were having sex in public) then the punishment is appropriate but it’s absurd to suggest that gay men should be ok with going to a place where it is illegal for them to have sex. Why would anyone want to visit a place, especially if they are with their partner, where they would have to avoid having sex or risk arrest?
Kiki
@Rob: I really did take offense by your statement “The morons in Dominica can’t even feed themselves or control violence on their cesspool island”. Let’s get one thing straight. I am a Dominican, who still lives in Dominica. I am college educated and hold a good job as do many people here. We may not make a lot of money and yes there are poor people on the island, but i’m sure we are not the only ones who poverty strikes and definitely not the only country in the world with crime. I can still walk outside my house at 3 in the morning. can you do that? Yes we have anti-buggery laws and yes most of our people do not support homosexuality. But the cruise line/ cruise organizers are aware of that law and it was their duty to inform their passengers of such so that they DO NOT partake in any such behavior while in port even on their balcony which was facing the port and was like a big screen tv for all to see. It is very disrespectful I must say because if i come to your country and break any one of your laws i’m sure i’ll be charged for it. they broke a law and when laws are broken you pay the consequences. They admitted to being NAKED on their balcony and pleaded guilty to indecent exposure for which they were given a slap on the wrist, a fine. My country is beautiful and filled with the most loving people in the world. Just because we’ve kept our ground when it comes to homosexuality and not bow down to the super nations who legalize it doesn’t mean we are backward, heartless, so poor that we can’t even feed ourselves and dumb. I feel sorry for you people. And who cares if you cross Dominica from your vacation list? many more will come and we poor people who can’t afford to feed ourselves by the way never go hungry. there is always a tree growing something that we can eat.
dominica
@Mikel D McGrew: its not dominica republic its dominica…….jeez get it right
dominica
@Rob: your mother’s a** dont you be dissing my country ya’l tired ass americans are the one dying over our non polluted beaches and fresh air
your dirty scunt
Khalil
@Tom in Lazybrook: Let’s have some perspective here. #Dominica is one of only three Eastern #Caribbean nations to sign the #UN Joint Statement on Anti #LGBT Violence http://bit.ly/GFVCfD It is ultra-conservative but it’s attitudes to LGBT citizens is a little more complex.
Khalil
@tazz602: If gay cruises were not to stop in Caribbean countries that have sodomy laws still in place, then they could not stop in any of the English speaking Caribbean islands. Again let’s have some perspective, gay cruises travel to all of these islands, many times during the year without incident.
People are not arrested in the streets, but the law still exists in the legislature.
Thankfully the couple were fined for public indecency, but not buggery/sodomy.
Khalil
@Sam: Now THAT I agree with. Straight couples have had been caught having sex in public spaces in other Caribbean islands and not tried, but are let off with a warning. The guys here broke the law and pleaded guilty to nakedness, but were probably charged BECAUSE they were two men.
Kiki
@Tom in Lazybrook: I do not like so called “smart people”. check dominicanewsonline.com or insidedominica.com or dominicavibes.com and i’m sure you’ll see a picture. Stop playing “smart” and better than us because you may live in a big so-called “developed” country!
Tom in Lazybrook
@Kiki: I don’t like people who defend making Gay illegal. So we’re even. You can stay in fabulous Dominica, where the ‘God’ you seek to uphold as you discriminate against your LGBT population has rewarded you amply, as can be seen in your fabulous economy and need to become a client state of Hugo Chavez (let me know how that works out for you). I guess my country is cursed and yours is blessed because you won’t ‘bow’ down (as you say) to enact 20th Century legal standards (much less 21st Century). Funny thing, you sure wouldn’t know it by looking at your economy, your crime rate, and your future economic prospects. Dominican.net and DNO didn’t have any pics up when I posted.
Why is that just about every nation with anti-Gay laws on the books is a loser nation? Its a rhetorical question. Nations that impose religious laws or abuse minorities instead of solving real problems generally end up being poor and misgoverned?
Love your name. Please look it up on urban dictionary. Ki Ki.
Peace.
Tom in Lazybrook
@Khalil: I’m talking about the December 2009 French Resolution at the UN, which directly condemned violence and discrimination against Gay persons. I’m glad Dominica eventually signed the weak UN resolution (I believe after serious pushback from the US, right), but so long as the law is on the books, and is used as a justification for discrimination either by the government, the media, or other segments of society, we’re going to have to make you own it.
From the bigots
Make sure to read the whole article u gay mother hush my mouth…. http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/all-news/general/gay-cruise-company-clears-air-on-dominica-incident/
matt
@Kiki: You claim that having laws against homosexuality doesn’t make your country “backwards” yet you never presented an argument as to why. What justification do you have for criminalizing what two adults do in private that causes harm to no one? Making it a crime simply to have a different sexuality is absurd, and doesn’t really go along with your claim of being “the most loving people in the world.” Finally to answer your question, yes, I can walk around outside whenever I please. I also never have to worry about being arrested for my sexuality either.
Homosexuals are possessed by demons
we have rules and laws in Dominica..them man knew dat… we dont like batty man down here…that cruise shoud have never come to here… lucky thing that happend on the ship… if it was on land and certain ppl saw dem… god knows what would have happend…
Homosexuals are possessed by demons
Dedicated to all them batty man commenting here…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIUZlzd37sI
charles woods
As a gay resident of one of these countries where homosexual sexual activity is illegal (St. Vincent), I can relate to the outrage regarding the homophobia expressed in this incident. However in discussion with many people in dominica it appears that these men were naked and engaged in overt sexual behaviour in full pubic view. I have issue with the common sense of the people involved. If it was indeed that they were naked together in full view of the public fondling each other (and that is the impression I am getting from various sources) I am hardly surprised that they were charged. There was no reason for such behavior especially as they were warned previously about the homophobic nature of the community. People need to be aware of their environment and act accordingly. Take note they are charged with indecent exposure, and not buggery… they would have been charged with the same if they were involved in the same kind of public activity in the US. However the issue has done no service to the Dominican tourism industry. It has also done an even greater disservice to the gay populations here in these islands where we are struggling to get these archaic laws overturned. Behavior like this only reinforces the stereotypical impression of the public that gays are hypersexual perverted sex fiends whose agenda is to be able to fuck each other in the street. I can already imagine the good church folk saying “If we remove the buggery laws it is so they will be carrying on in the street in front of our children… ” Gay Cruises and many gay men have visited all of these islands before, without incident. A cruse ship of gay men who visit the island and are perceived as being just regular people despite their sexuality would have been a positive learning experience for the homophobes in the community. These two men have paid their fine and gone off on their merry way but due to their stupidity they have now left an increased level of homophobia and set back the struggle for gay rights here in the caribbean.
Kiki
@matt: you want to know why? it is WRONG. the bible calls it an abomination. Sodom and Gomorrah, remember that? you people think that homosexuality being illegal is the only thing Dominicans frown on. i think i would prefer my country to keep its dignity than lose it to gain a few more dollars. We are not discriminating against anyone, were any of the other passengers arrested? the two men were having sex in PUBLIC. that’s a crime in most countries, indecent exposure that’s what they were charged for. Buggery is illegal yes, the sexual act between two men. I could care less if you are gay my dear that’s between you and God. Don’t cry down my country because it happened here. if it happened anywhere else in you all “developed” world, would you have just allowed them to continue having sex in public or would something be done about it. sit in a magistrate’s court and once in a while a case of indecent exposure against locals come up.They were not charged for being gay dear. they were charged for indecent exposure, you people are bringing up the ‘Dominica hates Gays’thing because we have anti-buggery laws. Lastly SHAME on you people, all of you! Don’t come to Dominica and run around with the natives who live in shacks, running around in grass skirts and drink from coconuts; not because of your sexuality but because it seems to me that you all are not very nice people at all.
Kiki
@Sam: Let’s get it straight here, I was at court on the day they appeared before the magistrate. why? because my job requires me to. They both ADMITTED to being on the balcony at the time, so the bedroom and blinds opened story is not true.
Eddie
@Rob: @Danny: Stop writting silly thngs and go make your caftans.
Dan
@Homosexuals are possessed by demons:
Yep i totally agree with you from Dominica down no Caribbean Islands
accepts gay people its just wrong i would not want there dutty money
who know if it have been down some buggaman pants when you go to collect
money for some thing they buy.
Theresa
I mean whether you are a gay or not, you would not have sex publicly in the US or any other country so why go do it in someone else’s country – all in the name of vacation? Don’t you have any pride for yourself and don’t you respect each other. If a partner respects his/her partner, he/she will not engage in sexual acts with his partner in public. I want to say to the two gay men, you do not love and respect each other – maybe you should examine your relationship – if there is one.
Respect yourselves so others can respect you
ddb
Some of you are missing the point. In the U.S. as well as Dominica, you can be charged with public lewdness, but in the U.S. you cannot be charged with “buggery.” These two are being charged with an additional crime that is not a crime in every possible port of call, and could have unknowingly committed this “crime” on shore without even being warned by the cruise company. In fact, in Dominican waters, they were committing a crime just by having private sex in their stateroom. In a nation so intolerant of gay men, what can they expect from the local jail or justice system? Why weren’t they warned, and why were they put at risk with a port call to Dominica in the first place, with so many more hospitable destinations available?