Gay couple ordered to leave Dominica

ROSEAU, Dominica – Two gay men from Palm Springs and Los Angeles have pleaded guilty to the charge of “indecent exposure” after they were spotted having sex on a gay cruise ship by someone on the island of Dominica.

John Robert Hart, 41, and 43-year-old Dennis Jay Mayer, passengers on the Atlantis Events-chartered Celebrity Summit cruise ship were fined $900 each and ordered to leave the island.

Dominica News Online reported that the court heard that the men were seen on the balcony of the cruise ship naked and fondling each other.

Hart, a retired police officer and Mayer a personal assistant real estate agent told the court, “We are sorry for what happened, we regret the incident and humbly apologize to the people of Dominica.”

When approached by the police about the incident, Hart said, “We were naked on the balcony but we were not having sex.” Mayer’s explanation was, “I’m not involved … but was slightly undressed on my balcony.”

Both men apologized to the court for their actions but were labeled by Chief Magistrate Evelina Baptiste as “rogues and vagabonds.”