In Search of Gay Surfers  | Sports | Advocate.com

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In Search of Gay Surfers
Gay women who surf abound -- they even have their own reality show -- and yet finding blokes who are out, proud, and surf isn't easy. Writer Dennis Hensley tells us why.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted February 25, 2008
In Search of Gay Surfers

Though no openly gay male surfers compete on the professional tour, several out lesbians do, including former world champion Lynne Boyer. Gay gals who surf are also the focus of the Logo reality show Curl Girls. All of which makes one wonder, Is there such a thing as a "curl guy," and if so, where is he? "I know they’re in the water," says L.A.-based Curl Girls star Michelle Fleury. "I look for them, but I haven’t spotted or spoken with anyone admitting to being gay."

Maybe they're in San Francisco, a gay mecca where the surfing scene has exploded over the last decade. "If there was going to be a place where there would be openly gay surfers, this would be it," says Matt Warshaw, the San Francisco–based author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing, "but you just don't see it." Warshaw is straight, but he's been writing about demographic trends in surfing for years and the ongoing invisibility of gay men confounds him. "I’m baffled as to whether it’s a sport that has happily or unhappily closeted surfers," he admits, "or if it's so staunchly hetero that it's like a force-field to keep gays out."

If the latter is true, it's for good reason. Despite its easygoing, enlightened vibe, surfing has a long history of homophobia. When a 1988 magazine article implied that Aussie surf star Cheyne Horan was gay, he lost endorsement deals and friends. A decade later, former top-5 pro Robbins Thompson left the sport in disgust after his sexuality became known and he started hearing taunts in the water and having the word "fag" painted on his car. In 1996, teen surfer Shane Dorian listed "dykes and fags" along with "diseases, the Devil, and flat spells" as things he'd like to rid the world of in Surfer magazine. And just last year, when a statue of a surfer went up in Cardiff near San Diego, surfers criticized it for not looking butch enough and dubbed it "Fairy Mary." So what's the deal?

"The gay guys I know who surf tend to try and keep their sexuality and their surfing separate," says Leslie Smith, a part-time surf enthusiast who works for a nonprofit organization in Manhattan. "They’re not closeted, but they’re not going to necessarily wear freedom rings on the beach." Smith adds that he has encountered homophobia on the beach, but like most surf-related altercations, it was all about turf. "I pulled up to this little cove in Hawaii a couple years ago," he recalls, "and a couple of a guys came over like, 'What are you doing here? Locals only.' They started calling me gay and making effeminate gestures and it became clear that I was going to leave or I was going to get beaten."

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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Casey
    Date posted: 2008-11-10 5:35 AM
    Hometown: Ventura, CA

    Comment:

    Guys Kitesurfing and Surfing are 2 different things. Not to sound snobby. Both are great sports but very different cultures. I surf but I keep my gay life to myself.


  • Name: Calvin Kilcrease
    Date posted: 2008-10-06 5:22 AM
    Hometown: greenbrae, Ca

    Comment:

    Actually there's quite a few gay lesbian and even a TG (or two ) surfers in the SF area. Just because you haven't found us doesn't mean we don't exist. Check out SF Peak on facebook. Come one, come all.


  • Name: Josh
    Date posted: 2008-10-04 12:34 PM
    Hometown: Venice Beach

    Comment:

    Getting involved on an environmental level be a good way for gay and lesbian surfers to connect. I'm a volunteer with the local Surfrider Foundation chapter here in West Los Angeles and we have several gay and lesbian members. Surfrider also participated in the filming of Curl Girls.


  • Name: WindChaser
    Date posted: 2008-09-21 8:49 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    I'm a kitesurfer and a windsurfer in San Francisco California. I've been living in California the past 7 years and have yet to meet another gay kitesurfer/windsurfer. I don't really see the homophobic aspects of this sport, people are extremely friendly and helpful, lookout for each others on the water. But I do confess that I seperate my gay life from my kitesurfing/windsurfing life. I spend 2-3 times a week out on the water from March to September every year, I don't spend time to involve in the gay scene. All of my close friends are straight. (to be continued...)


  • Name: WindChaser
    Date posted: 2008-09-21 8:47 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    I came out to them 2 years ago, people are very supportive. I have trouble getting some of my gay acquaintances into watersport, they would much rather go shopping or go to art gallery than get dirt, get mud and get wet or try to ride the wave. I'm used to bruising and cut from kiteboarding/windsurfing/sailing, but my gay acquaintances are extremely afraid of getting even a minor scar. So perhaps it's not the homophobia within the kitesurfing community, but the hydrophobia from the gay community.


  • Name: kiter3
    Date posted: 2008-09-03 11:49 AM
    Hometown: Cape Town

    Comment:

    I'm gay and I kitesurf. I'm in Cape Town. I've seen other kitesurfers that I think are also gay, but I haven't asked anyone (yet). My experience is that kite-surfers in general are very friendly and supportive. kiter3@gmail.com


  • Name: Henning
    Date posted: 2008-08-17 12:34 PM
    Hometown: Sylt/Germany

    Comment:

    I'm Henning from Germany, I live on the island Sylt which is a great place for kitesurfing. I kite most of the time with a friend who is also gay. I'm also in search of gay kitesurfers all around the world to build a net for making new friends or for example plan gay kiteholidays.


  • Name: Ed
    Date posted: 2008-06-07 7:41 AM
    Hometown: Fairfax VA

    Comment:

    Great story about surfers. Thanks for publishing this. I am a gay kitesurfer on the East Coast US and wish that I could find others. The only other gay kitesurfer that I know of is a good friend in Switzerland. I am openly gay and it is a non-issue among my kitesurfing friends. We're more focused on having great sessions, exchanging tips, and talking about gear. The kitesurfing community is very close-knit, tight, and supportive. I'd love to find other gay kiters out there and start a global network, much like gay surfers and windsurfers.


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