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

[johhnnyt]

Originally Posted by EastSideGuy

I'm surprised they don't do a new detective series with Angela Lansbury on Atlantis cruises - something seems to happen on every one. A suspected suicide on one in February, a drug dealer arrested last year, a 40-year old GLAAD board member died of a heart attack on 2009...

...Stay tuned for St. Petersburg this Summer. Miss Lansbury, get your Jessica Fletcher costume ready.

Angela is about 100 so not sure if she'll be game for the cast, how about Liza Minelli in the lead role with one of her ex gay husbands as the comic relief sidekick?

[EastSideGuy]

Hi Johnny -

Glad you like the idea. Actually, we could get Angela Lansbury to team up with Liza Minelli, and then throw Joan Collins into the mix - sort of a gay, geriatric Charlie's Angels, getting gay cruisers out of trouble on chartered liners.

I see you're in Dutchess County - if you go to the NYC thread here, we're talking about a LGBT cruise happy hour on April 20, probably near Grand Central.

I know this thread is about Domenica, so apologies for a side topic. To quote the late, great Sophia Petrillo, "But I digress".

[johhnnyt]

Thanks I'll take a look at that thread

Bottom line I guess on this topic to me isn't about Atlantis. If people are stupid enough to be naked and having sex in a public place in a foreign country, you need to be ready to deal with the consequences. It's simple respect for the people around you. If you want to have sex go to your room, not in a public place.
I've been to a lot of countries in the Asia and particularly the Mideast where I don't agree with ther rules and regulation, but I do RESPECT them and follow them while I'm there, they have the home court advantage.

[Schplinky]

According to the articles I read, these men were SEEN having sex from the shore. They may well have brought this on themselves if they were having sex on their balcony. Still, the reaction from Rich is sadly typical of his ethics and a bad reflection on Atlantis.

[keithm]

Originally Posted by Boytjie

As I told you before: PlanetOut never owned Atlantis.

And pray tell what your beef would be with RSVP? It was previously owned by PlanetOut and now by Atlantis and the only issue I recall seeing about them in the press is that they almost went under (you know, like not making enough profits).

Sorry. They(Planetout )did go under & was bought by Here network. I've nothing against RSVP except their prices. I still wouldn't do an all gay cruise. Just not our thing. If the events that occurred had been on a mainstream cruise, I'll bet none of this would have happened. The country knew this was a gay charter from the beginning & were looking for a reason to prosecute.

[Us2inFL]

Having been to the Caribbean many times, it stinks that you're in serious jeopardy if two men/women kiss while visiting (most) island countries.

Aside from the physical harm we hear of periodically, these government officials (unfortunately) have the right to board a ship.

[Schplinky]

Originally Posted by keithm

The country knew this was a gay charter from the beginning & were looking for a reason to prosecute.

How exactly do you know this? Let's not play the victim here until the facts are fully known. These men may have been being lewd on their balconies which would be objectionable to most. I imagine straight people having sex on their balconies would be arrested too, albeit under different indecency laws.

[DCT61]

You can imagine the fun they are having with this on the CELEBRITY board.

[MiamiSpartan]

Were they doing it on the balcony??
How else would they be seen?

[Ken_W]

It's over in Dominica. The men plead guilty on the charge of indecent exposure and the buggery charge was dropped according to article in Dominica News Online.

The fine is the USD equivalent of $900 each, which it appears they have paid.

My favorite bit is at the end when the judge is quoted: "Both men then apologized to the court for their actions but were labeled by Chief Magistrate Evalina Baptiste as “rouges and vagabonds.”

Oh, and one is retired police officer and the other is a "personal assistant real estate agent". They claim that yes, they were naked on their balcony but were not involved in any form of sexual activity.

I'd really like to hear their story after they leave Dominica.

[Ken_W]

And from the Atlantis Events Facebook page;

Please accept my apology for the late post, we have been at sea for the past 18 hours with limited internet access.

We appreciate the comments on this board regarding the incident in Dominica yesterday, but would sincerely ask that most of you get the facts correct before condemning Atlantis or Dominica for what happened. Here are the facts:

Yesterday morning around 9:30 am two of our guests were seen engaging in a sexual act outdoors on their balcony in full public view of the port and town. Not only did many of the residents witness the act, several of our guests saw this incident as well. The local authorities responded to a complaint by several residents. The two gentlemen were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of public indecency and detained overnight. They appeared in front of the local magistrate this morning, paid a small fine, and were released in full.

Please understand that the complaint and subsequent arrests had nothing to do with the guests’ sexual orientation, nor was any “anti-gay” law invoked. These guests were engaged in behavior that is inappropriate in any port of call, or major city for that matter.

The guests were never left on their own. We had both representatives from Atlantis and Celebrity cruises with them at all times during their ordeal and had our local representatives look after them last night. Furthermore, we worked closely with the US Embassy in Barbados to assure that their safety was always being monitored.

Atlantis had 2000 guests in port yesterday in Dominica and most of them had an outstanding time visiting the country. Celebrity Cruises has been extremely supportive, working with Atlantis to insure these guests’ safety and security despite their detention in Dominica. We commend them for their unwavering support through this incident.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Rich Campbell
President, Atlantis Events, Inc.

Rich Campbell is saying he believes that a heterosexual couple would have encountered the same reaction from the Dominica authorities. I assume that would include being called "rogues and vagabonds" by the judge.

[m steve]

but it might be a lot for those 2 passengers. Stupidity should not require a fine or jail. He should cover their fine as he could lose a lot of future cruisers. And who will sail with them to Dominica?And then Celebrity could charge them $250 each if they had a cigarette after their tryst on the balcony.

[Schplinky]

Why would he pay their fines? They did something that would be considered lewd and illegal in Miami, New York or Toronto. Why would they presume it was okay to stage their own sex performance in Dominica?

[m steve]

New York or Miami. And become married in Canada.

[Schplinky]

Lol but they broke the law; they pay the price.

[Boytjie]

Rich Cambpell:

Originally Posted by Ken_W

The two gentlemen were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of public indecency and detained overnight. They appeared in front of the local magistrate this morning, paid a small fine, and were released in full.

Well, they were arrested also for buggery - which was later dropped - so I am sure at the time they were arrested for much more than a misdemeanor at the time.

Rich may think $900 is a "small fine", most of his clients may disagree.

[derf5585]

March 21 Summit
Celebrity Cruises Associated Press reports two California men on a gay cruise of the Caribbean were arrested Wednesday in Dominica, where sex between two men is illegal. Police Constable John George said the men were seen having sex on the cruise ship by someone on the dock. The two were later charged with indecent exposure and are scheduled to appear before a magistrate Thursday morning. If found guilty, they could be fined $370 each and face up to six months in jail. The ship carrying about 2,000 passengers departed Puerto Rico on Saturday and arrived in Dominica on Wednesday. It departed for St. Barts without the men, who are being held in a cell at police headquarters in the capital of Roseau. The cruise was organized by Atlantis Events, a Southern California company that specializes in gay travel. President Rich Campbell, who is aboard the cruise, said in a phone interview earlier that he thought the two men would be released. He said he expects the two men to be released on Thursday and that they only face misdemeanor charges. "The guests actions were unfortunate but minor in this case and have no bearing on our overall guest experience," he said via email.
from
http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

[bdjam]

Originally Posted by Schplinky

They did something that would be considered lewd and illegal in Miami, New York or Toronto. Why would they presume it was okay to stage their own sex performance in Dominica?

While I'm sure most of the Atlantis cruises are on the up and up, I have heard them considered party circuit cruises, bath houses at sea, etc. The freedom of a vacation at sea with 2000 gay men is what is marketed. It would seem that if that's the atmosphere Atlantis is promoting, they should take some responsibility in how their clientele behave. Now I'm not discounting the fact that these guys should have used some common sense before screwing on the balcony - but perhaps Atlantis should err to caution and consider the fact that not everyone is well versed in the applicable laws of ships at sea or in port and maybe provide some warnings about what is appropriate while 12 miles out vs. alongside.

Our would that ruin their marketing strategy?

[Schplinky]

[quote=bdjam;33009624]While I'm sure most of the Atlantis cruises are on the up and up, I have heard them considered party circuit cruises, bath houses at sea, etc. The freedom of a vacation at sea with 2000 gay men is what is marketed. It would seem that if that's the atmosphere Atlantis is promoting, they should take some responsibility in how their clientele behave. Now I'm not discounting the fact that these guys should have used some common sense before screwing on the balcony - but perhaps Atlantis should err to caution and consider the fact that not everyone is well versed in the applicable laws of ships at sea or in port and maybe provide some warnings about what is appropriate while 12 miles out vs. alongside.

Our would that ruin their marketing strategy? [/quote]

It likely would. Still, it is a slippery slope, for them. Do they start to pay the public drunkeness fines their pax might have, or pay if their clients are arrested on drug charges? Rich's method seems to be to encourage this type of behavior through the environment he creates and then disavow the behavior when it results in consequences.

[KDilly]

Originally Posted by johhnnyt

Thanks I'll take a look at that thread

Bottom line I guess on this topic to me isn't about Atlantis. If people are stupid enough to be naked and having sex in a public place in a foreign country, you need to be ready to deal with the consequences. It's simple respect for the people around you. If you want to have sex go to your room, not in a public place.
I've been to a lot of countries in the Asia and particularly the Mideast where I don't agree with ther rules and regulation, but I do RESPECT them and follow them while I'm there, they have the home court advantage.

When in Rome... Right?!?!

-KD