RSVP Cruise Diverted From Morocco

Company officials at the all-gay RSVP Vacations claim that they had to divert their ship from its planned stop in Morocco yesterday after they were refused the right to dock.

The cruise would reportedly have been the first of its kind to visit Morocco, where homosexuality is illegal. 2,100 gay holidaymakers aboard the cruise liner MS Nieuw Amsterdam were told the stop in western Morocco had unexpectedly been cancelled. Holland America Line and RSVP Vacations diverted the ship from the west African port on 1 July. According to Reuters, passengers on the ship received a letter saying: “Our port agent in Casablanca has advised us that authorities in Morocco have – despite previous confirmations – now denied our scheduled visit.”

Morocco's tourism minister denied the cruise company's claim, saying, "We don’t ban cruise ships here and we never ask our visitors about their sexual preferences."

Atlantis Cruise Passengers Confess: We Were Fucking On That Balcony

Queerty has posted a message from the Atlantis Events cruise passengers arrested on board their ship earlier this year while moored at the Caribbean island of Dominica. An excerpt:

Yes, we were having sex on the balcony. We were fucking. There, I said it. The complaints came from Dominica dock workers, who were offended. I’m sure if it had been a naked women they would have continued to stare and most likely would have commented on her breasts. This is something that we could not previously address or admit to. Many have taken this as an opportunity to attack our character and integrity. We were originally charged with “buggery,” which is equivalent to sodomy. However, the charge was later reduced to indecent exposure, a lesser-inclusive charge.

We were represented by counsel who had advised us not to speak or admit to anything we were not being charged with. Had we been found guilty of buggery, we were facing a prison sentence of up to 14 years in a Third World country. We have never denied our responsibility for our indiscretion. We entered a guilt plea to the charge of indecent exposure. The Magistrate excepted our guilty plea, set a fine in the matter and then released us from custody. In addition, we were expatriated and deported from their country at our own expense.

The letter goes on to complain at length about Atlantis Events for taking passengers to anti-gay destinations.

Read the full letter.

About Those Arrested Cruise Passengers...

This will surely change some opinions.

Gay Cruise Passengers Speak Out

The two men arrested on their Dominica cruise ship tell quite a different story than that told in the press release issued by Atlantis Events president Rich Campbell. The Washington Post reports:

Dennis Jay Mayer, 53, told The Associated Press that he has no doubt they were arrested in Dominica because they were gay. [snip] “He said: ‘You’re being arrested for being gay. We’re arresting you for the crime of buggery,’” Mayer said. “He said that other people said that we were engaging in homosexual sex. He repeated that several times. I told him I didn’t know why they would say that. I wasn’t doing that.” Mayer said he was naked in his cabin and nearly naked on the balcony. “I was less partially clothed than I should have been.” During the interrogation, the police official threatened to take them to a clinic and have them medically examined for proof of homosexual activity, Mayer said. “He said, you know, we’re looking for specific things, fluids, bruising, things of that nature,” Mayer said. After making the threat, the official left the room, then came back saying they had a right to refuse the test, Mayer said.

Mayer adds that while the couple was transported to the police station, an angry crowd surrounded the police car to chant, scream, and bang on the vehicle.

They paraded many people by to look in on us as if we were some type of animal, which was quite humiliating,” he said. “People got great joy in the pleasure of taunting us.” In Thursday morning, police drove them to the courthouse in the capital of Roseau, passing through an angry crowd, Mayer said. "They were chanting and banging on the police vehicle. They were screaming things,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, other than in movies. Both my partner and I really feared for our safety.” Police drove around the block twice to avoid the crowd and journalists. Officers formed a barricade with their bodies and urged Mayer and his partner to run into the courthouse and not stop.

Does that sound like a "traffic ticket," as Campbell dismissed the entire ordeal?

Atlantis Events Responds

Atlantis Events president Rich Campbell has posted a message on the company's Facebook page.

DOMINCA: Gay Cruise Passengers Plead Guilty, Receive Two Months Jail Time

The court system on Dominca moves swiftly. It appears that the jail time will be waived if the fines are "paid immediately."

The charges were later reduced to indecent exposure – the charge on which they were found guilty by a Roseau magistrate. John Robert Hart 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer 43, were fined EC$2,400 each. The fines are to be paid immediately, failing which they will each have to spend two months in jail. The ship, Celebrity X Cruises, 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 were at the time being held in a cell at police headquarters in the capital of Roseau.

The fines are about $900 USD. Even IF the men were indeed stupidly fucking around on a ship's balcony in view of people on the dock, it remains doubtful to me that straight passengers would have been charged.

Dominca Newspaper Poll

Results.

An Email From Dominica

This wonderful email came in last night....

Hi Joe,

I cannot tell you how my heart sunk when I saw the story you have picked up from my island. This morning I had to verbally reprimand a coworker and ask her to stop speaking about the "gay ship". I ignored her when she said that an arrest was made, only to find out that the story is true. I don't know the details of what went down but it boogles my mind that the cruise organizers even bothered docking in Dominica. I'm a big believer in talking with your dollars so I totally understand and support the sentiment of gay cruises boycotting countries with anti-homosexual laws.

I'm writing you because when stories like this come out it is angering and hurtful that in 2012 things like this is still happening with apparent widespread support in some areas; but I wanted you to know that this Dominican girl has been reading your blog, laughing at your jokes, crying over your tales of lost friends and even listening to some of your recommended disco songs for a few years now. There are haters out there, but there are also lovers and I know that we are on the right side of history. Also, please tell the Farmboys I love them and if they'll like to gay adopt a 30 year old island girl that I'm available.

Nyes

[For those unaware, Farmboyz is the collective name for Father Tony and his husband, a monicker they earned many years ago due to a Connecticut farmhouse they once owned.]

DOMINICA: Gay Cruise Ship Passengers Charged With Public Buggery [Updated]

Two passengers of an all-gay cruise docked in the tiny Caribbean nation of Dominica (different from the Dominican Republic) have been charged with public buggery. Dominica residents also claim that they could see men having sex on the ship from their places on the shore. From a clearly biased local news source:

Police Chief Cyrille Carrette has confirmed that two males from California, John Robert Hart and Dennis Jay Mayer, have been charged with buggery and indecent exposure and are expected to appear in court on Thursday morning. The visit of the cruise ship to Dominica apparently carrying only male passengers is generating heated debate online, especially on Dominica News Online after the website posted the story earlier Wednesday. The ship evoked mixed reaction from observers who noted that “only men” were disembarking from the “Celebrity X Cruises” ship docked at the bayfront. Some members of the public gathered there appeared not amused with the development. A few told Dominica News Online that they were protesting what they consider to be “immoral behavior” on that cruise ship. One hair braider told DNO that she was “mentally disturbed, first time I am seeing that in my life”.

Knowing how many Caribbean nations regard homosexuality, I'm betting the two men were merely holding hands as they shopped. Or perhaps, scandal, they kissed. I call bullshit on this story.NOTE: It appears that this is the same all-gay cruise whose passengers photographed Rick Santorum on Saturday. According to the Atlantis Events schedule, that ship is docked in Dominca today.

UPDATE: An honest report from the Associated Press reveals that the two men were actually arrested for having sex ON BOARD the the ship.

Police Constable John George said police boarded the cruise ship and arrested the two men on suspicion of indecent exposure and “buggery,” a term equivalent to sodomy on the island. He identified the men as John Robert Hart, 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer, 43, but did not provide their hometowns. George said the men were seen having sex on the Celebrity Summit 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.

Atlantis Events president Rich Campbell is also on the ship and says his company will "happily return" to Dominica despite this trifling incident. Insanity.

Man Overboard On All Gay Cruise

I started getting emailed tips and tweets early this morning that a passenger had gone overboard on the all gay Atlantis cruise of the Caribbean. Now the story has hit the news.

Eyewitness News has learned a passenger has fallen overboard from an Atlantis cruise liner off the coast of Mexico on Friday. An ABC7 photographer aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise charter said passengers were awakened Friday morning by an emergency announcement, saying a man was believed to be overboard. The ship's captain confirmed the incident to passengers and said all rescue attempts are being made. An emergency assembly was called so passengers could be counted. The ship was on its way back to port in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. It stopped Friday off-shore near Cozumel, Mexico.

RELATED: In October 2009, GLAAD board member Spencer Yu died aboard an Atlantis cruise. Three months later another Atlantis passenger was found dead in his cabin. Both deaths were rumored to have been drug-related, but this was never publicly confirmed (to my knowledge.) In February of last year an Atlantis passenger (on the same ship in today's report) was arrested for dealing drugs on board. It's important to note that there's no mention of drugs in today's news report.

(Via JMG readers Andy, Warren, Hector)

SAINT MAARTEN: Pastors Demand Special "Code Of Conduct" For Gay Tourists

A group of pastors on the tiny Caribbean island of Saint Maarten say that the corrupting influence of homosexual tourists must be curtailed. Therefore they want their local Parliament to impose a new "code of conduct" to prevent gay cruise ship visitors from committing public displays of affection. The pastors met yesterday with Parliament's Committee For Tourism to present their demands.

Pastor Wycliffe Smith, who headed the delegation, said the group was guided by the word of God and had not been politically motivated or manipulated by anyone to champion these issues. He said the churches were following the rule of God by loving the sinner, but hating the sin. "We are not saying it is right to do it hidden or in the closet," he said. Smith said homosexuals were coming to the island every day via the airport and the harbour and there also were many who live here. His contention is that these people should not impose their way of life and should curb public displays of affection. "As a Christian nation, we love you [homosexuals], but we don't love your lifestyle," he said. [snip] Pastor Leyland Sam said the concern was that the gay cruise would be an "avalanche" of gay people on the island. If St. Maarten doesn't stop this inflow, he added, probably 15 years down the line the island will have to expand its prisons and hospitals because of the gay people.

One member of Parliament noted the pastors' concerns, but said that any changes to local law would have to be in line with human rights treaties the island presently has with the Netherlands.

Passenger Dies On Atlantis Cruise

Three months after GLAAD board member Spencer Yu died on an Atlantis Cruise to the Mexican Riviera, yesterday an as yet unidentified 37 year-old male passenger of the all-gay cruise company was found dead in his Liberty Of The Seas cabin while the ship was moored in the Cayman Islands. Local police are investigating and have not released any cause of death.

RELATED: When the ship first arrived in port, it was met with local controversy, although one Cayman newspaper described complaints as "more subdued" than in years past. In 1998 the Cayman government banned ships carrying gay cruise events from its ports. That ban was later relaxed, although local pastors continue to campaign for its return.