The two men arrested on an Atlantis cruise docked in the Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Wednesday are speaking out about the incident, and they say it was a hellish ordeal that had everything to do with homophobia.
Speaking by phone to KTLA’s David Begnaud from Puerto Rico last night, one of the men, Dennis Mayer, says he and partner John Hart “were taunted all night long” in their Dominican jail cell, which had no light, no water, and no toilet.
“They paraded us around like we were some oddity,” said Mayer, himself a retired police officer, of their treatment at the hands of Dominican authorities.
“They were going to transfer us to a medical facility and have us medically examined to determine if we had engaged in sexual activity,” he added.
Mayer told Begnaud that the Palm Springs couple was warned that they needed to beg the Dominican judge for their freedom, or they would be thrown in jail for two months.
Mayer and Hart (right and left in their Dominican mug shots above) were arrested on Wednesday after claims from islanders that they were having sex in full public view on their stateroom balcony.
Though Dominican police considered “buggery” charges for the men, far lesser charges of indecent exposure were ultimately issued. The men pleaded guilty and were each fined EC $2400, or about US $890.
In a statement and interviews yesterday, Atlantis president Rich Campbell said that Dominica’s strict anti-sodomy laws, which allow for sentences of up to ten years in prison, had nothing to do with the men’s ordeal.
“They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Campbell told the Los Angeles Times. “Sodomy laws do exist. But that’s not what they were called into question for. That has nothing to do with this.”
“It wasn’t a minor offense to us,” countered Hart. “It was frightening to us, and we didn’t know how to respond to that, because we don’t come from a world or a country that prosecutes people for being gay.”
Justin in Oaklawn, Dallas, Texas
There’s at least one way to avoid being “paraded around” like an oddity:
Don’t have sex out in public, whether you’re gay, straight, or anything else.
This is just a couple of inconsiderate DUMBASSES. Waaah-waaah-waaah!
RomanHans
I don’t understand why gay men keep going to places where it’s illegal for gay men to have sex.
San Diego
@RomanHans: I agree. The quickest way to get them to change their law is to keep your Gay Dollar out of their country. And avoid the cruise lines that go there. There are enough beautiful and open-minded places for us to vacation in.
mk_ultra_again
“They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Campbell told the Los Angeles Times. “
You brought them there Campbell!
What kind of an @sshole would charter a gay cruise to homophobic ports?
Does NOM or FOTF run that sh!t?
Timmmeeeyyy
If they were standing naked on the balcony of a hotel in most US cities, they would probably be arrested as well.
DouggSeven
I thought they were just nude on their balcony having drinks?
Kev C
They pled guilty, they paid their fine, which appears disproporationly high. And they were abused by government officials. Very unprofessional and homophobic.
Cam
Well gee,
Then perhaps no more aid should be given to this country.
John McLaren
Of course an arrest would never happen in the USA if two people (of any sex) decided, while the ship was in dock to go out on their balcony in broad daylight and have sex for all the folks to see who are strolling along the dock in San Diego, or New York or even Miami. These guys think because it’s an “anything goes” gay cruise it’s sex and orgy time anywhere on the boat. As Joan Rivers would say “Oh grow up!!”
Curtis
@RomanHans:
@San Diego:
Have you ever done something kinky and dangerous, after a few cocktails?.. Common.
But the real issue here is, how many straight couples are arrested for the same thing, (on a cruise, in a S. American country, ect.) ? Would Dominicans be ‘equally’ upset with a straight couple fooling around, but “not having sex”? Ask yourself that.
MEJ
@DouggSeven:
That’s exactly what happened.
Everyone is trying to spin this into a balcony gang bang, but they were just two gay men standing on their balcony nude. That’s why they were punished.
When do we start a boycott of Atlantis Cruises? What can we do to get Rich Campbell fired?
Spike
@MEJ: How is standing on your balcony naked on a ship in port any different from standing on your hotel, condo or apt. balcony naked??? If you are in view of the public it is indecent exposure. These guys are playing the gay card when what they did was really really really stupid esp for a former police officer. This has NOTHING to do with Atlantis Cruises, btw, Rich Campbell is the president and owner. BTW, as previously posted, when at sea, the front of the ship, top deck, on Atlantis Cruises is referred to as NAKED BEACH, figure it out. If these guys wanted to be naked, there is a time and place.
Danny
Dominica violates the human rights of hundreds of millions of people. The island of 70,000 residents should be leveled into a dirt pile. No reason to tolerate governments violating human rights in the 21st century.
devon in CA
There’s far too much drug and alcohol abuse in the gay community.
I guess black people hate gays everywhere in the world.
Tepa
Memo to all us gays — don’t go nude or have sex in public and everything will be fine. Don’t whine when you get busted if you do something stupid.
Cam
@Tepa:
ACtually my comment was directed at the Dominican Republic because they still have anti-Sodomy Laws.
Yeah, these guys were stupid, HOWEVER, I don’t want any aid money going to a country that still has those on the books.
Mighty
Note to self never spend any money in Dominican Republic.
Sam
It’s Dominica where they were stopped not the Dominican Republic. Homosexuality is legal in the Dominican Republican
TJ
Typical self absorbed whining queens. Do something wrong, the turn into victims. Shut up and just sit down.
David
They should not have left the ship. I wouldn’t have. They would have had to drag me off.
Public
They were not arrested for being gay. They were arrested for sexual conduct in public even after being warned. Don’t try to be misleading. If they were arrested just for being gay then the entire ship would have been arrested.
Farquart
These two are total trash and are now playing the victim card. There is nowhere on earth that you can fornicate in front of the public – including children – and have it “covered” by being gay. They have brought discredit and disgust on themselves and on the gay community in general. Scumbags.
jree
gawd, why is it always the ugly ones who want to show off?
Public
Our island will do great without you…think whatever you want as long as you respect our laws including the law which says that there should be no sex in public places.
Public
Keep your aid if you wish – trying to punish our economy because we stood for an honorable law…is this how you were taught to relate to other nations?
Delius
Maybe they were arrested for their eyebrows?
Logic N LA
Everyone invloved except the two guys said they were having sex. Public decency is a social requirement. I’m disgusted by the guys that keep stereo-types for gay behavior out there. Where is the community outrage over that?
Sam
Who are the everyone involved other than the two guys? No witnesses have come forward and the country has dropped the other charge. They’ve only pled guilty to the indecent exposure and said they weren’t having sex. Why should the community be outraged if public sex didn’t occur? Maybe when the cruise returns back, you can hear from the other passengers what happened. In the meantime be outraged gay people gave lots of money to a country that actually enforces their homophobic sodomy laws.
dave
One was an-ex cop. Wonder how many guys he busted for cruising when he was on the force.
Mike
@1-Mike in Texas-I agree! They clearly wanted attention, and now they have it.
@2Hans-Agreed as well. I have told all of my LGBT friends especially ones who go on cruises or on vacations to places in the Carribean and central and South America that they should avoid going to certain countries where you’re really putting your life at risk by going there as a LGBT person or just as an American like Jamaica, the Dominican republic, or Trinidad.
MEJ
@Public:
Where is your proof that they were having sex in public? The only witnesses were anti-gay Dominicans who were already angry that a gay cruise was stopping on their island.
BubbasBack
@Curtis: Guess you haven’t been reading the news about straight couples arrested in Dubai and other Arab countries for kissing and other sexual peccadilloes. These two meatheads were plain dumb. 1. Go to places that you know will welcome guys. 2. Behave yourselves. It’s always the same bs, whether at Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the White Party or a cruise. Queens getting high, drunk, naked and having sex. And then when they get caught, they scream homophobia. Puhleeezee. Grow up. Burp.
MEJ
@Spike:
Go back to polishing Rich Campbell’s prostate, Spike.
AAPablo
@RomanHans: Sir I’m a Dominican and proud of it and I need to set the record straight. First if we had so much of an issue with thes guys being gay, then the other 2000 gay guys that got off the ship and went touring around the island would have been given a hard time. yes we have homophobes in our country….TELL ME..HOW MANY ARE THEIR IN YOUR COUNTRY…if the answr is none them congratulations.
Hart and Mayer did a dumb thing in public and like everyone else they should face the consequences. to now play the gay card is beyond childish and a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth.
i remember having come to the states and having been arrested for what’s it called oh yes J-WALKING….was it because i was black….no it was because my small island country ass…didn’t follow the rules in your country.
so please let’s discuss this case for what it was…..a case of two guys doing a dumb thing and getting what many can consider a slap on the wrist.
MEJ
@David:
News reports stated that Atlantic Cruises helped the police in finding, and arresting these men. Truly pathetic on Rich Campbell’s part.
MEJ
@AAPablo:
yes we have homophobes in our country….TELL ME..HOW MANY ARE THEIR IN YOUR COUNTRY…if the answr is none them congratulations.
The difference is our homophobes don’t arrest us, drag us around an island humiliate us and charge us with “buggery”.
Hart and Mayer did a dumb thing in public and like everyone else they should face the consequences. to now play the gay card is beyond childish and a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth.
They were arrested, paraded around, harassed by guards, disrespected by the judge, and generally humiliated by your backwards countrymen. They were held out especially for derision, and humiliation by your people. Don’t try to paint this as not being anti-gay bias.
i remember having come to the states and having been arrested for what’s it called oh yes J-WALKING….was it because i was black….no it was because my small island country ass…didn’t follow the rules in your country.
Jay walking is dangerous and can get the perpetrator hurt, and cause problems for motorists. How is standing on a balcony nude dangerous to anyone–other than the gay men doing the standing around?
so please let’s discuss this case for what it was…..a case of two guys doing a dumb thing and getting what many can consider a slap on the wrist.
$900 fines, time in jail, and being disrespected by a court magistrate is not a slap on the wrist.
MEJ
@Sam:
+1 on everything you wrote, Sam.
B
No. 25 · Public wrote, “Keep your aid if you wish – trying to punish our economy because we stood for an honorable law…is this how you were taught to relate to other nations?”
I wouldn’t worry about it. A lot of the people calling for a boycott want to boycott the Dominican Republic instead.
If these two were fined for being naked on a balcony in plain view of people on the shore or dock, it’s OK by me and shouldn’t even be news. If they were threatened with being charged with having sex in public and didn’t do that, Dominica deserves to be boycotted.
Dominica also deserves a boycott due to its anti-sodomy laws. You can decide if a loss of business costs you more than whatever pleasure you get from a government that intrudes into people’s bedrooms. If you want 21st century business, you are going to have to join the 21st century. Don’t be surprised if people take their business elsewhere if you don’t respect them, and with various Internet-based services, everyone is going to find out in a hurry.
Christopher
Personally, I think there is a bigger issue than these two. The debate will rage on with some people calling them names (unnecessary), and some defending their actions.
The more important question I have, is why a cruise, specifically marketed to the gay community, is docking in Dominica in the first place. I did a few minutes research and discovered that the island has been trying to deny access to its dock to gay cruises since at least 2002, and that gay tourists on the island are regularly harassed. A former Atlantis passenger told me that groups chanted “Where are your women?” as they got off the boat when he was in Dominica, and that complaints were ignored by cruise staff.
I understand that each passenger must do his own research, but honestly, if I were booking a gay cruise, especially a high profile one like Atlantis, I would expect them to be certain that the passengers were in safe locations, and would dock in gay friendly locations. Telling passengers after they have booked a cruise, that their money will be supporting these islands is not adequate.
Kev C
Flood of new and disapproving posters bent on piling on, even after the matter was settled. Anyone else’s “anti-gaydar” pinging?
jason
Who does Atlantis President Rich Campbell think he is? He should run for politics. “Wrong place at the wrong time”? Give me a fucking break.
Fuck off, Rich. Your cruises are allegedly cesspools of promiscuity where sex happens frequently and, if the reports from Dominica are correct, in public. One wonder whether Rich’s cruises turn a blind eye to such vulgar public displays in the name of money.
If I had the power, I’d shut down Atlantis. At the very minimum, I’d mandate the deck be flooded with Clorox at every port.
Khalil
@devon in CA: That’s so ignorant. You do realize the Caribbean, just the U.S. has black gay men in abundance as well? Don’t be an ass, let’s focus on the issue here which is homophobia, not race.
Khalil
@Public: It’s not an honorable law, it’s not even enforced in your country, just used as a spectre to keep gay Dominicans cowed, infringing on their human rights.
Auntie Mame
If you dock in a shithole country you can’t be surprised if you’re treated like shit. Stay off these cruises. Vacation where the inhabitants are not subhuman.
Khalil
@Auntie Mame: Dominica’s The country’s record on #LGBT is a little more complex than that. Dominica was the only Eastern Caribbean nation to sign the #UN Joint Statement on Anti-LGBT Violence http://bit.ly/GFVCfD
Auntie Mame
@Khalil: I’ve been to that country. It’s a shithole. For a variety of reasons beyond just this story.
Khalil
@Auntie Mame: I disagree, but ok.
MBear
I wonder how many people are arrested for ‘indecent exposure’ during Carnival in Dominica.
Christopher Banks
Emotions still running high on this one, obviously, and there seems to be clear conflict between what was alleged the couple did and what they say they did.
There’s no disagreement on how Atlantis responded, because we have it in black and white. Like others, I agree – “wrong place at the wrong time”? Really?
You mean like, taking some Jewish people for a bus tour through a Warsaw ghetto in the 1940s?
Ray
So were they fucking the the balcony or not because that makes all the difference.
Alex
Well, I think people should be allowed to walk around naked. I don’t care. All this hating the demonizing the human body is just stupid.
FunMe
Wait a second! I thought these guys picked each other up at the cruise. They are actually BOYFRIENDS!
I really doubt they were having sex. It seems to me they were probably just naked and kissed each other. And they were arrested AND Rich Campbell threw them under the bus? Wow, if that’s not homophobia, I don’t know what is.
I’m really surprised Rich Campbell is still in business what with last year allowing a drug dealer to go on his ship. They were friends. But I guess he threw him under the bus, too.
Sam
The AP interview picked up by ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-man-tells-humiliating-arrest-dominca-15990153?page=2#.T20lwM3Hg-g
Curtis
@BubbasBack:
I guess you haven’t been reading my post :-/
I SPECIFICALLY said “S. American countries” for that exact reason.. While indeed some South American and Caribbean countries are largely homophobic, Middle Eastern places tend to be MUCH more backwards and medieval, (these are places where it is legal to kill your wife if if you decide she has offended the family), so not surprising they give straight couples trouble there as well.. Anyway, your little comparison does not hold water. Gay cruises don’t even go to “Arab countries” for these exact reasons of homophobia.
If you seriously think a straight couple doing what these two men had done would have been treated the same way, than I don’t even know what I’m doing wasting my time talking to you for.. Go back to self-hatersville, please :-/ or if your straight, just stfu.
B
No. 50 · Ray asked, “So were they f___ing the the balcony or not because that makes all the difference.”
One claimed both were naked and the other claimed to be partially clothed. Both denied sexual contact on the balcony. Some of the people complaining (at least, one) claimed they were engaged in a sexual act, and other reports suggested “fondling”. So, who knows? I’d presume that homophobia could “color” the perceptions of witnesses, turning a hug into a sex act (as a hypothetical example).
Assuming a local ordinance against public nudity, a fair fine would be $50 U.S., treated as an infraction (e.g., like a parking ticket). This also assumes they should have known they would be easily seen if out on the balcony, as opposed to a situation where you’d need high-powered binoculars to see them. People on a “clothing optional” cruise should be expected to know that they’d have to get dressed when easily seen from a dock or from shore.
Polyboy
Devon you stupid cunt. It’s the religious homophobia not race dumbass.
Polyboy
Yeah Devon, fight religious homophobia with racism that always helps.
Callum
@John McLaren
@Timmmeeeyyy
@RomanHans
@Justin in Oaklawn, Dallas, Texas
@Spike
@devon in CA
@Public
The above posters and others have posted comments and made statements that simply are not true.
First, this was a Gay Cruise, billed or advertised as “Clothing Optional” Which means that going out onto your room’s deck, be it one facing the interior court or the ones facing outward from the ship would be OK.
Second no sex act took place, the men were simply on their deck naked.
The law they violated was the law that says no one may be seen in public or in any public place naked.
The Captain of the Carnival Cruise Lines ship should not have given permission for the military police to board his ship.
Atlantis President Rich Campbell should have had one of his lackeys go to the men’s room, get the men dressed and then quickly and secretly taken them to a quite and safe spot within the ship. Atlantis should have refused to cooperate with the military police of Domninica.
Atlantis should nbe black balled within the gay community unless they change their iteniary to only visit Gay friendly ports of call.
Rockery
EWWWWWWWWWW they are UGLY. I had a different image
B
No. 57 · Callum wrote, “Atlantis President Rich Campbell should have had one of his lackeys go to the men’s room, get the men dressed and then quickly and secretly taken them to a quite and safe spot within the ship. Atlantis should have refused to cooperate with the military police of Domninica.”
Sounds like a plan. Unfortunately, to be consistent shouldn’t we give Dharum Ravi a free pass for not cooperating very well with the police? Also, if there is a clothing-optional Roman Catholic Hierarchy cruise, should the captain hide any priest seen on a balcony with an alter boy, both naked? Remember, the legal issue is the right of the captain and crew of a cruise ship to ignore a country’s laws and police force, and hide any passenger who might get in trouble with them. That issue is independent of whether the person is being persecuted for behavior we think is reasonable or being prosecuted for behavior we all think is abhorrent.
Finally, if the captain of the ship gets arrested for interfering with a police investigation to shield these two gay guys, what should the U.S. do? Send a diplomatic note or bomb them into the stone age? Or simply say that the captain should have known better?
I don’t like what Dominica is doing either (specifically the sodomy laws, allegedly requiring people to grovel to avoid having the book thrown at them, and excessive fines for minor offenses), but the only reasonable option is to take our money elsewhere. Then the locals can decide what they want more, their homophobia or our dollars.
Belize
@Kev C: Yes. Mine. Right before I saw your post.
MoJo
Soooo, were they or were they Not scronking in view of the public?!
Tone
There is an awful lot of misinformation being spun every which way here.
1. Dominica is NOT Dominican Republic
2. The men were NOT charged or accused of having sex on the ship’s balcony
3. It is hundreds of yards to the dock from the nearest residence. No one could have been outraged without binoculars. What is more likely is a worker at the dock saw it and took exception because they were men, and the ship was known to be an all male cruise. That was the excuse to put the machinery of persecution into motion.
As outraged as someone may have claimed to be it is clear from how these men were treated once arrested that there was bias at work. How many heterosexual couples in the same situation would have been paraded through town like infidels? How many would have even been charged? In most cities if there was a female with bare tits on a ship’s balcony men would have crowded around the binoculars for a look.
Fulminate about decency all you want, what’s clear to me is that these men were victims of a homophobic culture, with laws to prove it, and Atlantis threw them under the ship as it were.
B
No. 62 · Tone wrote, “3. It is hundreds of yards to the dock from the nearest residence. No one could have been outraged without binoculars.”
The accounts were that people noticed that only men were getting off the ship, word spread like wildfire, and a bunch of locals went over to the dock to have a look.
The rules about public nudity, at least in many countries that have those, do not have an exception for nudity hundreds of yards from residences.
rick
Stupid queens. Your families must be soooooo proud of you.
rick
Does the latino one think anyone thinks he is under 40? Grow up.
Some Random Guy
@FunMe: “Wait a second! I thought these guys picked each other up at the cruise. They are actually BOYFRIENDS! I really doubt they were having sex…”
You’re quite a comedian!
iDavid
Hey guys, even the gay guys on the ship said they saw them having sex on the deck. They got exactly what they deserved. They were childishly pushing the envelope and got busted. They are lucky they got off as free as they did. As for cruising in a homophobic world, the US has no place to talk. I think these guys knew exactly what the customs were in Dominca and tried to play a “fuck you” to the locals by staging a sex act. And a cop no less. What a very very stupid thing to do. Now America is paying for it. Any of you playing the victim card are really out to lunch, laws are laws, homophobia is just the icing on the cake, but the cake is the law.
iDavid
On their radio interview in this post he says about the charges “I’m not going to implicate myself one way or the other”, which translates to, ‘yes we were having illegal public sex’. Like, own it. Ya do the crime ya do the time. End of story.
Dave
Have been to Dominican Republic on vacation with my partner several times to different cities on the Island and while its not my favorite island to go to, we have never been treated anything but well. On the beach or anywhere in the hotel or airport. Most any island in the Caribbean is fairly homophobic so I think its wrong to single out the DR.
devon in CA
I wonder if Dominica has “bishops” that preach hatred of gays like here in the US?
DONTminica
Went there twice on cruises and found the town and its people a nasty wreck. And I don’t mean crumbling poverty-ridden streets (I love a good scene of urban decay). I mean they were a bossy, arrogant people that treated the cruise passengers like invading infidels. Cruise ships have only just begun visiting this island, really. If this is how they will treat anyone, then that poor island won’t be able to reap the rewards of tourism, which is a shame because once you’re away from the crappy villages, the island has some of the best natural beauty in the Caribe: waterfalls, rainforests, crystal clear rivers… It’s a ecotourism dream wrapped in a tourism nightmare.
Houston Bill
@Dave: Dominica is a DIFFERENT place than the Dominican Republic.
FunMe
For anyone who STILL thinks the country of Dominica was very nice to all the gay, why don’t you listen to FIRST HAND a report from someone who is actually on the trip!
‘We are on this cruise. Too many here are rushing to judge these guys. Why not give them the benefit of the doubt and wait until all the facts are in? My husband went on a trolley tour of the town in Dominica while I was scuba diving. He and the other guys on the tour were subjected to anti-gay slurs from some of the people as they innocently toured the town. Rich Campbell’s comments are disgraceful. He couldn’t care less about the gay community or his client’s welfare, it seems. He’ll go anywhere no matter how homophobic the locale. It’s about the $$$ for him.”
YEAH, sounds like very friendly country to all. NOT!
FunMe
I originally thought these 2 guys met at the cruise and picked each other for sex. Turns out they are BOYFRIENDS for a long time. Something tells me that they were probably naked in their robes, took them off to enjoy the sunshine and scenery. I don’t buy the “having sex”.
And for those self-loathing or jump to judgement gays, you don’t know the story unless you were there. I certainly don’t.
Any intelligent person would know that whatever the guys said in court, they simply said to get the heck out of that homophobic country. Just listen to the words of the judge and that should tell you everything about the HOMOPHOBIA of that country.
As for Rich Campbel and throwing (again) someone under the bus, I hope his company suffers and more and more people decide NOT to take his cruises anymore.
I mean he had a drug dealer (friend of his) currently in jail for bringing and dealing drugs in one his cruises last year. (Hmmm, how does someone so easily get into a ship with lots of drugs if it weren’t for the owner letting him in the back door). Then there was a guy who died this year, and he couldn’t wait long enough to find him. They “had” to get to the next destination Mexico.
I hope these guys sue Atlantis and Rich Campbell and that the gets all the BAD PUBLICITY and lost of income he deserves.
Fawkes
If we had a president who actually cared about our community, we’d invade that little nothing of a country and rescue these two men from those barbarians.
Huh ...
@Cam: @Mighty: @Mike: @Dave:
Wow. The ignorance of some of you people is astounding. Dominica is different country from the Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, homosexuality is not illegal.
Crack a book open every once in a while, you under-educated buffoons.
@Cam:
Hilarious. You actually want to try to discuss a subject like foreign aid while lacking even the most basic knowledge of geography? Try reading a book every once in a while. Moron.
BubbasBack
@Curtis: Oh Curtis Curtis Curtis. BIg burp to you.
Curtis
@BubbasBack:
… What?
mikeandrewsdantescove
Dennis is a Facebook friend. This is insanity. A country I will never be going to.
Mike
Jakub Stefano –
http://sfholidays.blogspot.com/
Heh
“How is standing on your balcony naked on a ship in port any different from standing on your hotel, condo or apt. balcony naked??? If you are in view of the public it is indecent exposure.”
Maybe in your backwoods, redneck shit-hole of a city. Here in San Francisco, it’s perfectly legal.
One reason I live here and not in flyover country. Not because I have a hankering for going on my balcony naked, but because I don’t want to live somewhere where prudish assholes like yourself decide that homophobic lopsided laws are “justifiable.”
Heh
“even the gay guys on the ship said they saw them having sex on the deck”
No they didn’t. Not one witness has stepped forward.
The allegation was made by the Atlantis executive in his “push it out the door before they can give their side of the story press release” was issued, but no actual individuals on the cruise have stepped forward.
In fact, I hope both of these gentlemen sue Atlantis Events and the executive, personally, for defamation, since it’s pretty obvious that there isn’t a single “gay guy who saw them having sex on the dock” anywhere.
B
No. 75 · Fawkes wrote, “If we had a president who actually cared about our community, we’d invade that little nothing of a country and rescue these two men from those barbarians.”
At least we have a president with enough sense not to invade this tiny, insignificant country to “rescue” two men who are not there – they were sent to the airport and told to leave.
Sending them to the airport is yet another item to ding Dominica for unless the ship had already left port.
Cruz2012
@Justin in Oaklawn, Dallas, Texas: i agree with you… i know it’s feels great to take certain risks while on vacation…but that’s just a little bit too much. their’s a difference between taken risks and just being plain dumb.
dave
that’s it, no more gay cruises w/ that idiot Campbell at the helm…what a douche..what a waste of money.
the crustybastard
Hey, Dominicans:
When was the last time your country prosecuted ANY OTHER cruise passenger/s for public nudity on the basis they were naked on their ship’s cabin balcony?
I keep reading Dominicans talking about how you are of your country and its homophobic laws, and how you’re pleased Dominica’s other “public morality” laws are enforced on the basis the accused individuals are gay, and you’re gloating about the humiliations extracted by your cops and judges.
Yep, you go ahead and enjoy taking pride in all that.
But don’t forget that your economy is based on tourism.
I certainly wouldn’t engage in public nudity or public sex or knowingly violate any local laws, so despite the fact there would be almost vanishingly remote chance of my being arrested in Dominica, I’m not going to forget or forgive how Dominica chooses to arbitrarily apply its laws for the purpose of publicly humiliating gay tourists.
As a gay tourist myself, I can assure you that neither I, nor the large group of friends that frequently vacation in the Caribbean and often take cruises, will EVER visit your country under any circumstance. This episode has ensured that thousands of people will feel exactly as I do.
So Dominica won its moral victory and two $2,400 fines. Congratulations. Cherish the memory.
Also try to remember what imposing those fines will ultimately cost your economy.
With contempt,
the crustybastard
PeteP
@Callum: Atlantis cruises are not “clothing optional.” Get your facts straight before posting this nonsense.
Huh ...
@the crustybastard: I’m sure they give a $hit. Get over yourself.
Shannon1981
I do not understand gay cruises docking in places with laws against homosexuals. “Buggery?!?!” Really, now. Whoever drew up the route for this cruise needs to be fired.
On a side note, public sex of any kind is illegal most anywhere, so if this occurred, they would be arrested regardless of location. However, it does not seem like this is what this was.
prettygirls
@Fawkes: Yea. Let’s go to war over two ugly bitches who don’t have enough class not to fuck in public. You Queerty Clowns are sooooooo stupid.
@devon in CA: After visiting THIS site I really can’t blame them.
Texndoc
With today’s everything you do except behind closed doors is probably being camera recorded by someone society, I doubt these two are going to sue anyone and are probably going to go away. Atlantis can probably afford some expensive lawyers, and I’ve been reading very plausible accounts from people who at least claim they were there. And are not sympathetic to this couple.
Eddie
@Danny: @Auntie Mame: Stop writting silly things and go make yours caftans.
NYCGuy85
They are an embarrassment to the community. Cry me a frickin River. No excuses. Have sex where noone else can see you, especially if you look like that.
Andy
@Justin in Oaklawn, Dallas, Texas: Yeah, sex is public is horrible. It’s like starting wars and wasting trillions.
Spike
@Heh: I see there is still no shortage of angry bitter gays in
SF.
Yep, just cuz it’s legal in SF, the rest of us life in redneck shit holes, who know Long Beach, CA was a redneck shithole?!!? Nice, really really nice. Let me guess you are also still angry about Hillary loosing the nomination as well.
Spike
@MEJ: He’s not my type, and I’m not asian.
Spike
@Callum: Damn you are worse then Fox News when it comes to your facts.
– Atlantis Cruises has never been billed as clothing optional.
– No sex took place, really, and this fact is based on what evidence?
– The law they violated . . . . really, since when did you become and expert on Dominica law?
– They were on a Celebrity ship, no Carnival. MAJOR FAIL. Just making up the facts as you go aren’t you.
– Rich Campbell should have . . . really? Atlantis only charters the ship, it’s passengers are paying guests of Celebrity and accountable for their actions while on board.
– Atlantis should be black balled until they change their itinerary. Really? Rather taliban.ish. How about you choose not to book a cruise on Atlantis if it’s itinerary is objectionable to you and let the rest of us make our own decisions accordingly.
Heh
@Spike: Well, you SoCal sorts and your prudery gave us Prop 8, The Governator, Rick Warren, megachurches and reality TV shows about bleach blond OC housewives. I always referred to that trashy part of the state as “Calabama.”
Yeah, you’re pretty backwater.
iDavid
@Heh
Yes, the “guests on the ship” witnessed the two having sex on their balcony. So again, get the facts before you judge. These guys deserved everything they got, and embarrassed America in the process. As they say “When in Rome, do (or don’t do) what the Romans do.”
http://www.queerty.com/atlantis-president-arrested-men-had-balcony-sex-in-full-public-view-of-the-port-and-town-20120322/
Heh
@iDavid: “the “guests on the ship” witnessed the two having sex on their balcony”
Nope, that’s what the cruise line management claimed, in their hastily issued press release.
To date, not a single credible witness from the cruise has stepped forward to corroborate what Atlantis claims.
Several HAVE stepped forward, however, to post their skepticism about Atlantis’s claims, along with photos of what the dock looked like with the ship at port.
Texndoc
I suppose if they sue then they have a believable story and the people who claim to be witnesses and say they had it coming and more are full of it. If they don’t, and that’s my guess, they know they’re full of it. “Oh we were arrested for being gay!” Well, 2000 other people weren’t.
Sam
Not sure how anyone can see something that’s occurring 6 stories up far away. Some locals have even commented on how could you see anything? I’ve read lots of hearsay –friend of friend said they saw such & such, lots of grumbling, but no actual eye witness posting. Giving them the benefit of the doubt till evidence proves otherwise.
I’m sure Dominica has some decent people living there & their anti sodomy laws are antiquated & probably barely used. But the fact they’re still on the books means they can be used as intimidation–plead guilty or you may get 14 years in prison, for example.
Suppose you’re accused of something there & it’s your word against someone else, will Atlantis stand behind you or will they send press releases basically say You’re guilty of sodomy & there are witnesses, instead of saying these two men have been arrested & accused of such & such & we’re working studiously for their release.
iDavid
@Heh
The ships Captain says guests reported seeing them having sex. An even bigger smoking gun is the two guys have made statements, avoiding completely the subject as to whether they had sex. In other words, they had sex and aren’t “coming forward” to deny the charges. It’s an open and shut case. My question is why are you so intense on defending them when all the facts point otherwise. The guys arent even defending themselves, why are you? What’s your point?
I’m afraid your angle of innocence is full of holes, ya know, like Swiss cheese.
iDavid
Here’s the smoking gun u say does not exist; an eye witness guest who was on the cruise who saw the two dorks having sex. See the first commenter’s (Hugh) comment……
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/03/gay-cruise-arrest-in-dominica-should-be-wake-up-call-for-lgbt-community/
Some Random Guy
After reading these 100+ comments, I have a suggestion. Maybe Atlantis could just cruise around the Caribbean without ever docking anywhere. Then all the 40 & 50-something “kids” can take drugs in international waters all they want, & be naked & fuck their (few) brains out without ever having to deal with any of those annoying black people in other countries (obviously the most troublesome factor here), & everything will apparently be just like the gayest nabes in SF.
Spike
@Heh: Thanks for confirming. Angry bitter gay. BTW, I have no ill will toward NoCal nor would I have reason to list negatives as you have – esp the republican.esq name calling as it involves President Obama – shame on you! Life is just to damn short to go around being so bitter and angry, but its your choice.
Sam
@Idavid that’s not a smoking gun, that’s a lot of people saying lots of people saw this etc etc but no actual guest have come forward & no actual photos have been seen. These people are hearsay people responding to gossip. In fact, someone posted on Atlantis facebook saying the same thing—sex in front of guests & children it’s only later several responses later that the guy admitted that he HADN”Tt ACTUALLY SEEN ANYTHING. By then everyone was off & running going well here’s a guest who saw something.
Sam
Yeah, look at that one guy’s statement. It’s a joke–now it’s sex in multiple positions, then before I heard it’s just anal, then it was frothing, then after I heard they could only see their pro—Wow gossip as truth. Who’d a thunk it.
Timmmeeeyyy
It’s ridiculous to hear all these people complaining about being arrested for public nudity and sex in Dominica, as if that sort of thing doesn’t happen in the USA. These are all stories posted on Queerty:
http://www.queerty.com/san-diego-man-claims-to-be-victim-of-banana-hammock-discrimination-20120314/
http://www.queerty.com/breaking-invisible-children-co-founder-jason-russell-arrested-for-vandalizing-masturbating-in-public-20120316/
http://www.queerty.com/naked-boys-suing-20081111/
http://www.queerty.com/what-do-you-mean-live-erotic-massage-is-too-risque-for-nyc-20091111/
http://www.queerty.com/palm-springs-cops-testify-they-asked-park-cruisers-to-show-me-what-youve-got-20110126/
http://www.queerty.com/surprise-sodomy-still-punishable-in-18-states-20110809/
http://www.queerty.com/palm-beach-cops-entrap-over-600-men-at-popular-cruising-grounds-20120111/
http://www.queerty.com/does-teacher-charles-nelson-glover-deserve-to-have-his-life-ruined-for-touching-a-cop-in-a-park-20101213/
http://www.queerty.com/the-lapds-crackdown-on-park-cruising-fun-20100315/
http://www.queerty.com/friday-forum-are-undercover-sex-shop-stings-homophobic-20090213/
This one even happened in Palm Springs:
http://www.queerty.com/11-warm-sands-public-sex-cruisers-take-plea-deals-to-avoid-sex-offender-registry-20110316/
In some of these stories, the people weren’t even nude, or in public. In only a few minutes you can find dozens of stories (on Queerty and across the internet) of people in the US arrested for public (and private) nudity and sex.
Heh
@Spike: Did you take time off from applying your spray tan and adjusting your pec implants just to type a response to me? No need, my SoCal bud… Hurry and finish adjusting! The Escalade is waiting to take you to TGI Friday’s! 😉
iDavid
Logical facts meets irrational stupid, sounds like a lot of Kirk Camerons in the room supporting the latter.
Heh
If hearsay were facts, you’d be an encyclopedia.
Then again, with a name like “iDavid,” it is clear that you’re used to having other people tell you what to think.
iDavid
Heh,
LoL Whatever u say Kirk.
Rob Moore
@Rockery: Look little sugar-booger. You might consider yourself to be particularly attractive in some sort of shallow, twinkish sort of way, but let me assure you not everyone will be awestruck by your beauty. These men are not ugly. They have matured physcially past the point of being prancing poodles. You seem to be saying this would have been much worse if these men had been fashion models. Sorry they don’t appeal to you, but I am sure no one but a shallow little twat like yourself gives a good goddamn what you think about the whole incident, their physical attributes, or your own overly optimistic assessment of yourself.
B
No. 100 · Sam wrote, “Not sure how anyone can see something that’s occurring 6 stories up far away.” It’s some number of stories up and not far away if you are on the dock. One of the article QUEERTY linked to in one article on it actually had a picture of the ship. The balconies were made of a transparent material so you’d be able to tell if two guys were naked or close to each other. Some of the reports claimed they were fondling each other. If true, it might actually have been just some hugging.
Given the level of homophobia on this island, it wouldn’t surprise me if the witness reports were unreliable. There have been experiments were actors simulated a murder and asked witnesses to identify the murder. Lots of witnesses identified innocent bystanders and made other serious errors. It was probably due to being in a stressful and unexpected situation. Given the level of homophobia on the island, seeing two naked guys together would probably generate a lot of stress on the locals – kind of a “there’s a pool hall in River City” phenomena. A hug probably got turned into an orgy by the time the story was repeated 10 times.
Tanuka
I’m so glad most people here aren’t defending them and rather are stating the obvious that this would have never happened if they weren’t having sex in PUBLIC. Why do gay men insist on acting like i’s the 70s still? The one on thee right looks old enough to have been around during that time, so he’s probably just stuck in his gay sex past.
Spike
@Heh: Projecting tired NoCal vrs. SoCal stereotyped insults makes you feel better does it? If so, I certainly wouldn’t want to discourage you. Just try to be a little more creative. Really, spray tan, pecs implants, Escalade, TGIF, yawn.
iDavid
Unbelievable…….Ncal and Scal “shithole backwater” dude your psycho. But if you wanna hear my take, the gays in SF are alot more spinning out queens than LA or Long Beach. We tend to lose the general lisp when ya hit so cal. I know I’m going to pay for this. LoL
linc52
i really feel sorry for dennis and john im going through some homophobic things at the moment
Andrew
@Heh: Oh God, your one city in the country allows public nudity (or so you think). You’re so fucking advanced. We should all just get naked all the fucking time so we can be more like you.
Get out of the gay ghetto and live in the real world. You live in a bubble.
Bob Baldwin
@MEJ: Duh! Look at the picture
John Bellamy
Bloody morons. They deserve all they got.
Jeff
@MEJ:
Rich Campbell owns the company. He won’t be fired. And apparently they were nude on the balcony but not having a drink — at least not alcohol.
Philip T
They give every gay man a bad reputation. I think they should have been ejected from the rest of that cruise and RSVP should NEVER allow them back on board.