In Search of Gay Surfers

When L.A.-based
entrepreneur Eric Mueller started surfing in the late
1990s, he found a far more welcoming scene. "I hung out with
this straight guy who had a girlfriend, yet he'd
always be like, 'I really want to make out with you,'"
says Mueller, laughing at the memory. "He was the
epitome of the surfer types I would meet, just very
laid-back guys who didn’t subscribe to all the rules
of society, including the ones that say guys
aren’t supposed to make out with other guys."

New York theater
producer Rob Ahrens's experience is somewhere between
the two. "When I started in '98, a friend and I used to joke
that we were the only two gay surfers in the world,"
recalls Ahrens, who actually came up with the
life-changing idea to turn Xanadu into a Broadway
musical while on a surfing trip to El Salvador in
2001. "Now, it seems like the sport is broadening.
When I go out and it comes up, it’s pretty much a
nonissue."

If there's hope
for an out and proud future for gay men in surfing, it's
personified by Dan Abrams, a financial analyst in Los
Angeles who started a Yahoo group for gay surfers
several years back that has since grown into a gang of
around 20 or so gay and gay-friendly surfers. "It
became like this really cool little family," says Abrams, an
Army veteran and former USC rugby player, "and we've never
experienced any homophobia in the water whatsoever. We
openly talk about guys in the water and I’ve
never really gotten anything more than just a
surprised second look."

Abrams would love
it if his group helped inspire other gay men to
hop on board. "Sometimes, I think we worry so much about
homophobia that it keeps us from doing things that
we're interested in," says Abrams. "Maybe if people
knew there were other (gay) people doing this, it
might give them hope or a network of people to go do this
with." Would he work with a beginner, like say a journalist
who may be a little on the Fairy Mary side? "We give
free surf lessons to anyone who's interested," he
promises. "I can honestly say that surfing has changed
my life. When you catch that wave, it’s like riding a
roller coaster, only you’re the track and
you’re the car and it’s all you."

And, let's face
it; it's pretty sexy too. "When I’m out at a bar and
someone’s like, 'What are your hobbies?' and I say
surfing, their eyes perk up," says Abrams. "I have a
surfboard in my apartment," adds Ahrens, "and I said
to a friend who’s very stylish, 'I should
probably get that out of here. It doesn’t look
proper,' and he said, 'Oh, no no no, keep it there.
That’s going to get you laid.'"