Two California men were arrested Wednesday in Dominica following police accounts that they had public gay sex – an illegal act in the Caribbean.
Police say that John Robert Hart, 41, and Dennis Jay Mayer, 43, were seen having sex on the Celebrity Summit cruiseliner by someone on the ship’s dock. Police intervened and removed the men from the cruise arresting them for their inappropriate public demonstration.
“Please understand that the complaint and subsequent arrests had nothing to do with the guests’ sexual orientation, nor was any ‘anti-gay’ law invoked,” said Rich Campbell, president of Atlantis Events, a company specializing in gay travel who organized the cruise. “These guests were engaged in behavior that is inappropriate in any port of call, or major city for that matter.”
“Many countries and municipalities that gay men visit and live in have antiquated laws on their books,” said Campbell. “These statutes don’t pose a concern to us in planning a tourist visit… 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.”
Campbell said the men paid small fines and were released Thursday.
“The guests actions were unfortunate but minor in this case and have no bearing on our overall guest experience,” he said via email.
