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.

By Dennis Hensley

An Advocate.com exclusive posted February 25, 2008

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: kitegirl
Date posted: 2009-04-03 3:29 PM
Hometown: new york

Comment:

Im a gay girl who kites and I can safely say I havent seen any other gay women out on the waves. In fact only girlfriends who wait on the beach! Ive yet to see more girls like myself or should I say any women as Im actually 38! But this seems to be the average age for kiters in my area. I guess we have the dosh to buy the equipment. But I hope gay girls dont look at all the kite adverts and think this is such a hetero male dominated sport (see Ocean Rodeo). Most people on the waves are really decent people. They understand the dangers of being on the sea and gain corny as it sounds some kind of spirtuality from being out there. So although I am not out out on the waves, I still have a girlfriend who waits for me on the beach like all the other guys...Im sure they know but Im accepted all the same!

Name: manoa
Date posted: 2009-02-03 4:40 AM
Hometown: honolulu

Comment:

i live in hawaii have surfed all my life, i am a surfer, thats how i define myself and most all of the life decisions that i have made all come back to getting the most time in the water. Growing up in the sport, well kids being kids, you learn real fast to fake it str8t--if you want to catch good waves, get respect (to catch more waves) have friends, avoid getting beat up. Surfing has changed so much in the last 5-6 years--its truly a mainstream sport now. So yea lots of girls n the water, surf schools "teaching" people how to surf---and lots of gays, right on. Its different tho when you pick up a sport at age 20 or 30-something and your gay, cause you (probably) found your sexuality, your life, before you found the sport. And surfing for you, well maybe it will be more than a fad, a fashion, but maybe not, no big deal. I am just so happy that the internet is there cause no kid will have to go through what i did - now they can find each other--

Name: Kev
Date posted: 2009-01-02 1:06 PM
Hometown: Stevenson, WA

Comment:

Late to the party as usual but here's my comment: I live in the Columbia River Gorge and have meet or noticed profiles of many gay sail/kite boarders on line and they all assume I wind surf since I live in the Gorge. I don't, but there's no shortage of good brew pubs to catch a pint at afterwords. My place is a flop house in season for all my straight friends who come in for long weekends to sail and later BBQ at my place. I go to the swap meets and such w/them and there are many gay men and women at these and in the gear stores. My gaydar is pretty reliable. The kite/sail dudes in OR/WA are a pretty hot crew and where there are hot men there are gay men.

Name: Kev
Date posted: 2009-01-02 1:06 PM
Hometown: Stevenson, WA

Comment:

Name: Kev
Date posted: 2009-01-02 1:04 PM
Hometown: Stevenson, WA

Comment:

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