PHOTOS: Gay surfers are making waves hanging out & hanging ten
Get out the surf wax and sunscreen—Saturday, June 20, is International Surfing Day.
Mark
Get out the surf wax and sunscreen—Saturday, June 20, is International Surfing Day. The Surfrider Foundation and its partners founded the annual holiday in 2005 to “raise awareness and support for our world’s beaches and coastal environments.”
And though the surfing world has caught waves of homophobia, it’s more inclusive these days thanks to Gay Surf Week and Sapphic Surf Week, both of which are weeklong surfing and wellness retreats geared toward the queer community.
In an essay for Outsports last year, Gay Surf Week founder Joe Santini wrote that he wanted queer surfers to have a place to experience the magic of surfing while being totally themselves.
“When I first launched Gay Surf Week, I had hopes of a diverse group, but I didn’t expect the breadth of LGBTQ attendees at my first three retreats,” Santini said. “I’ve hosted trans surfers, first-timers in their 60s, seasoned riders, closeted newbies, and even those who’ve never seen the ocean before. The magic isn’t just in the waves—it’s in the collective cheers, the group text that lives on for months after, the late-night dance parties, and in the way we build a world just for us.”
Your day is about to get a little hotter
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to get your fix of heartthrobs with a side of the hottest queer news and culture.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
There’s also the Queer Surf Club, a global community making surfing a more inclusive sport. “Our mission is to create inclusive surfing to save our oceans. We want people of all different identities to have access to, enjoy and preserve our oceans,” the organization says on its site. “Surfing is notoriously exclusive as a sport; geographically, socially, and economically. We know surf culture needs to change—and we’re here to shake it up.”
And with hashtags like #gaysurfers, queer folks are showing off their boards and bodies all over social media. Take a look below.
You know, if y’all follow me I can open an OF and start posting even more fun content#gay #muscle #model #hot #bodybuilder #mustache #hairy #surfer #aussie— Denver Young
(@denverbendsover.bsky.social) 2024-11-23T10:12:30.725Z
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
