Gay surfer

From Cori Schumacher to Matt Branson to Keala Kennelly to Tyler Wright, the history of LGBTQ surfing runs deeper than most surfers realize. We have a voice and we’re not afraid to use it. We use our platform advocate for LGBTQ+ surfers, underrepresented communities and environmental issues. "Out In The Line-Up" is a documentary about homosexuality and surfing that examines why people think there aren't any gay surfers.

The surf film tells the story of all gay surfers who seek acceptance, happiness, and some really good waves without any type of discrimination. 2, Followers, 2, Following, Posts - Surfer Gays (@surfergays) on Instagram: "To connect and show ️ for all the LGBTQ folks out there, no matter the level. ️🌈 🏄 DM pics.

surfer gay sweater

Run by @rovergaard, works with @rainbowsurfretreats". • Connect queers to their bodies, the ocean, and an inclusive surf community. • Support queer mental & physical health through relationship with the ocean. • Expand surf culture by advocating for distributed surf resources and a culture of belonging in the waves. So I want to tell you something. But I do know my teenage years would have been a lot easier if I could read about a pro surfer who also battled the same demons I struggled with.

That alone might have softened the blow. I know these things would have made a huge difference to me as a kid, and I believe it can make a difference to the thousands out there today facing the same inner struggles. Everyone knows everyone and the surf scene is very much woolly jumpers, knitted hats and cups of tea.

Then that same guy that drops in on you will more than likely paddle back and apologize. Visiting surfers are usually welcomed with open arms and instantly accepted into the family.

All of these things are really cool to see. Growing up, I would never accept myself as being gay. I wanted to be the best but I thought that people would just end up hating me if they ever found out—especially here in Ireland where everyone is so tight. I battled thoughts of suicide, telling myself I would have to kill myself if anybody ever found out I was gay.

Sure, there were gay basketball players and soccer players, but never surfers—never anything or anyone that I could relate to. That only added to my feelings of loneliness and the belief that I was the only person going through this. Feeling like the only person on earth sucked. No matter how many contests I won or how many days of good waves that I got, nothing filled that dark hole.

Things instantly felt better when I finished school. That alone made people associate with me more. But after thinking it over for a couple of months I realized if I was going to come out, there was probably no better way to do it. I was traveling through New Zealand with a bunch of childhood friends when the film was shown at a festival back home in Ireland. I panicked.

I came out to my friends that I was traveling with, and they too could not have been happier for me. The final step was just to bite the bullet and come out publicly to everyone that I knew, so I posted it on my Facebook. I was doing something that I could never imagine: I was finally out. To my absolute shock, nobody cared about my sexuality in the negative way I had feared, that is.

They supported me and showed me love. The day that I came out healed a lot of scars from the years I spent alone, hating myself for who I love. I think that the presence of the LGBTQ community in surfing is something that should be acknowledged more. As a teen, I remember coming across a thread about homosexuality in surfing online. I want to be the first openly gay surfer on the World Tour.

I have a big love for competition. I won my first national title at the age of I have won six more since then.