Gay cruise ship docks in Dominica; two passengers arrested for buggery

[turquoise 6]

Well, I think all of us here are ;)

That's NICE

 

As for jurisdiction, I think within 12 nautical miles the laws of the coutry rule. And no, I am not a maritime lawyer but do you the Google Machine. :)

 

LOL. And if I am a lawyer ,NO. I can't answer that .

Good idea. Go goggle. have fun with that tonight!

[turquoise 6]

What to do? Here's a suggestion. Don't have sex on your balcony in view of any passing islander with good eyesight. Don't play the 'gay' card and claim homophobic prejudice when you have been buggering your other half on a balcony. Don't then lie about what you were up to when you get the media in front of you and make a pack of lies up when various passengers are happily photographing your carnal activities in high definition.

 

The stupidity of this pair amazes me, but what really annoys me is their cowardice in not acknowledging their actions. I also felt some sympathy based on their story until I saw the photos. It doesn't take too many brain cells firing to realise that having sex on your balcony while in port when you are surrounded by customs and immigration officers as well as port authority employees, isn't a very good idea.

Read my post. That's all I can say.

[keithm]

This is a learning lesson, A new word being used American vocabulary

Buggering !! You use it well.

I think your response is so way "over the top" that I can't give you a retort. I think my first post was very well written and addressed the specific incident on the Gay cruise ship in Dominica. This arrest on board is a precedent. I suspect now this type of cruise will be open to an increase of surveillance by Law enforcement in certain ports.

It was something "waiting to happen" and now that it did it will happen again for what ever reason. This type of cruise is not welcomed in many islands/places. What do do? maybe have workshops or meetings on board

about the culture of each port, Dress codes, Behavior codes. Education may be what is needed here.

Buggering is a term frequently used by the British. It's pretty well known. Surprised you were not familar with it. As Boytjie, myself & many others stated.. These 2 idiots set us back quite a bit here in the Caribbean area. The religious zealots love this sort of stuff. it gives them fuel. Imagine how much money they are getting in their coffers by showing this. This is what really fuels their donations.

The gay lines RSVP/Atlantis give quite a bit of warning about the laws concerning these islands. These 2 chose to either ignore it(which I don't believe)or to Flaunt it by doing what they did(Which I do believe) I do feel that Atlantis/RSVP should consider altering where they go. Perhaps get a consensus from the folks that use them.

I checked the blogsite from Dominica. They were amazingly homophobic. Not just for these 2 people, but to the ship docking in the first place. There was a "smattering" of gay support, but it was pretty slim. As I stated go where you're welcome & spend your money there. If you do go to these islands on a gay/straight cruiseline, at least try to observe the local laws, or stay on board & treat yourself/partner to a splendid spa day.

[ikelmay]

If this was a straight couple having sex in Dominica they would not be arrested! It is legal for a straight couple to have sex.Illegal for a gay couple: Read the law of Dominica . The guys were not given the FULL treatment of arrest,because this alleged " incident"(Did they have sex? or was this a public display on their balcony?) occurred on the cruise ship and not on the island. This means that the cruise company worked with the Police to get them free. TO enforce a an anti -gay

law on these guys who were ,on the balcony ,far from the dock,makes me think about what the motives were by the police to make this severe arrest.

 

OK, from the top - no guarantees that an idiot straight couple getting it on in port on their balcony in full view of the very conservative dominicans that operate the port and in full view of the customs officials, wouldn't have been arrested and charged with indecent exposure.

 

It probably wouldn't have made the news quite so vividly, which only reinforces why many in the GLBT community are irritated by this couple's stupid actions, giving opponents ammunition.

 

Did they have sex? Well you decide for yourself from the posted pictures found online, but my lessons in anatomy suggest to me that they were not taking tea with the vicar.

 

If the ship was tied up in port or even anchored in their waters, then the island DOES have jurisdiction - just because the vessel is registered overseas doesn't give it dominion and release from abiding by island laws (however backward)..... e.g. the instances when officials have been brought on board ships both overseas and in the U.S. when there have been issues of drug use.

 

I agree with you that the motives of the authorities are very questionable, given the cruise and its complement - but common sense tells me that having any sort of sex on your balcony in port in full view of the general public is a pretty dimwitted action. I would suggest that if it was possible to snap a face-on picture of these two hard at it, then anyone with two eyes in their head and wanting an opportunity to cause trouble wouldn't have to work very hard to get local law enforcement involved.

 

On my most recent cruise at the GLBT get-together, a quick straw poll found 100% attending had absolutely no sympathy for them.

[SailorManBilly]

OK, no need for you all to start a fight over this.

 

Sometimes when people feel strongly about something, or they have seen the evidence that others haven't, they may behave as if everyone has see the evidence, which may be somewhere in the thread, or in a linked link or something.

 

From what I originally thought to what I saw when I was shown the link to the evidence of the actual even that this thread is about, I changed my mind. I also understand why Boytjie is getting a little bit frustrated - here's the thing:

 

Many of us, myself included, suffered a lot of discriminatory behavior when we were younger and had to fight back against it so that we, as gay people, would be allowed to be treated somewhat like regular people in most areas of life. While that doesn't always extend to every area of the law, it certainly has come a long way since I was a teen. Now, finally, people are standing up for and protecting younger people against bullying which causes a lot of psychological damage and suicides. In order to gain all of the ground we have gained, we have had to do and act better than others, behave in an upstanding manner, and be taken seriously because we band together and act polite and courteous but demand our rights. In areas where there is still an anti gay sentiment, such as islands like Dominica, gay people must put forth a face which will change that. We do so by being kind to the indigenous people despite the looks we may get, ignoring any negative talk, and smiling away at everyone and putting a good face on everything. We spend our large disposable incomes on trinkets and jewelry and souvenirs, and when we leave the people can only say "These people weren't so bad after all". They've spent their money here, haven't tried to pick up all of our men, and haven't run amok on the island causing all sorts of trouble". Something like this happens, and while it may not be the worst thing that could happen, it is seized upon by the locals and is 5 steps back for the cause. Now every time a gay guy shows up there, particularly on a gay charter cruise, the locals will compare everyone to the 2 queens that were trying to show the entire island what they came for - island d*&k.

 

Something like this isn't much of a big deal in some areas, but in places where we need to do a lot more work to be accepted and more importantly, to allow the gay population on the island to feel that they can be able to be themselves without fear of recrimination, it is a huge problem.

 

I don't know what happened on that ship, what they allowed on, what their security policies are or any of that, we don't cruise gay cruises, but I've heard stories of things that happen on these ships. Before I saw the picture I had much more sympathy for the couple than afterward. Any 12 year old knows not to run around naked where people can see them. Having sex in full view of the islanders is just a no-no, and the picture clearly shows that they were going at it. There's nothing to debate. Yes their balcony is their private space, but they should have kept that behavior for when they were at sea.

 

Beautifully said!! Can I also add that we have not yet considered the gay teens who live in Dominica... Imagine how terrified they must be of their sexuality. The fears of being hated by their families and community. All the angst we ALL went through in our teen years, but multiplied by being in a country where it's illegal to be who you are; not to mention the deep seeded religious implications. Now imagine a gay 13 year old living in Dominica, hoping for some way to feel good about himself and to not feel despair over being gay. Now imagine that same 13 year old at his dinner table the night of this incident. Jut imagine what his parents/aunts/uncles/grandparents/siblings must have been saying in their own language about the "filthy Godless Queers".

 

And now just imagine the strength that young boy has to have to NOT want to kill himself.

 

The person who thought my original post was over the top has clearly never spent much thought worrying about the actions of our more overt/in your face adults in our community in connection with how it affects our gay teens; but as someone who has devoted his life and career to the protection of gay teens and gay teen suicide prevention, I'm here to tell you that my post was, sadly, NOT over the top, and any gay that thinks it is, needs to realize that they are no more than an ostrich with their head buried in the sand - at least when it comes to the issue of gay teen suicide - and how the actions of individuals in our own community contribute to the reasons for the bullying that goes on at school and even at home for these kids.

 

I honestly don't give a rat's patootie about the supposed "rights" of a degenerate ex-cop and his balcony wall clinging slam piece, when their actions can and will hurt gay teens. If hearing about gay teen suicides breaks your heart, as it does mine, then you too should be condemning the actions of those that give the homophobic straight people in this world more reasons to hate us and to bully our gay teens!

[Ken_W]

Here's the kicker. They now admit they were having intercourse on their balcony. (LINK NSFW DUE TO LANGUAGE, no controversial images, and I decided to try to include the link as this is the letter they themselves have written.)

 

They also seem disappointed that they had to pay their own fines and repatriation expenses.

 

I don't think we need to hear anything else from these guys, as I don't believe their judgement skills justify any more attention being paid to them, but I cannot resist quoting my favorite line from their open letter.

 

In talking about staying out of trouble in foreign countries, they urge people to "Do your own research of the countries’ laws that you plan to visit."

 

Because countries that provide legal protection to people having sexual intercourse in public must number in the what, zeroes?

[Schplinky]

They really are their own worst enemies. They are now freely admitting to breaking the law in that country and they expect all of us to admire them because this was not a random hookup but the result of a committed relationship. They also presume if other pax were watching, it was because they had "sheer enjoyment" in what they saw.

 

What a couple of great ambassadors for the community and for gay cruises.

[keithm]

They really are their own worst enemies. They are now freely admitting to breaking the law in that country and they expect all of us to admire them because this was not a random hookup but the result of a committed relationship. They also presume if other pax were watching, it was because they had "sheer enjoyment" in what they saw.

 

What a couple of great ambassadors for the community and for gay cruises.

Well, I left my comment on Queerty. Sorry but the douche bags got(got off lightly!)what they deserved. The only suport I give is to question any gay charter visiting hostile ports of call. I understand the beauty of these islands, but still I'm not in favor of enriching the tourist businesses there.

[Boytjie]

They are still idiots!

 

I can understand their initial comments to not admit having sex in public - it would have been legally stupid; they were able to plead guilty to a lesser charge and get out of the country by paying a fine.

 

But they don't accept any responsibility for their idiotic behavior: they had sex in public which is illegal everywhere I can think of. It doesn't matter if only men saw it and it is irrelevant whether other passengers were having sex on their balconies while out at sea or on the D deck at night at sea.

[MiamiSpartan]

What to do? Here's a suggestion. Don't have sex on your balcony in view of any passing islander with good eyesight. Don't play the 'gay' card and claim homophobic prejudice when you have been buggering your other half on a balcony. Don't then lie about what you were up to when you get the media in front of you and make a pack of lies up when various passengers are happily photographing your carnal activities in high definition.

 

The stupidity of this pair amazes me, but what really annoys me is their cowardice in not acknowledging their actions. I also felt some sympathy based on their story until I saw the photos. It doesn't take too many brain cells firing to realise that having sex on your balcony while in port when you are surrounded by customs and immigration officers as well as port authority employees, isn't a very good idea.

 

This. It astounds me the number of people treating this couple like victims....

[CtheW0rld]

Check post 178: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=33221113&postcount=178

 

 

 

Maybe you only read half of the thread? Because it was discussed especially after the pictures surfaced. So the snippiness was based on the fact that picture links were posted and people discussed the fact that it was worse than what the two guys claimed.

 

just saw the photo. that has got to be one of the dumbest things no wait - the dumbest thing i have ever seen on a ship. i would suggest those 2 NOT go to the middle east. they would be dead by now.

[rog747]

just saw the photo. that has got to be one of the dumbest things no wait - the dumbest thing i have ever seen on a ship. i would suggest those 2 NOT go to the middle east. they would be dead by now.

 

 

lol hear hear! as a Brit you took those words out of my mouth!!

 

these 2 silly queens are the 2 dumbest in history and were dead lucky to get off

so lightly,

 

try that in Dubai or Port Said docks and you will be wishing you WERE dead...

 

these 2 got off lucky imho... next time do it on the OCEAN view side lol

fools

[dcikon2]

We have visited most of the islands in the Caribbean and have not experienced one incident. Of course, we don't go around doing things in public that "should" be kept in your own home. This shows that some people don't use common sense and don't care about their personal actions. We had one of our best experiences in Dominica. The people were friendly and the country is beautiful. The sad part about this incident is it gives a bad reputation to the gay community.