Have some of you been on dive boats that someone said something negative/positive or anything at all towards you about being Queer or LGBT ?
All the dive boats/trips I've been on no one really cared about anything but Diving.
Most divers are pretty quiet in the water. That's a good thing. On the boat and between dives are where it can be annoying or uncomfortable. Nothing like people cracking "fag" jokes because they don't realize you are gay. It's also pretty annoying to listen to guys try to act macho and talk about the women as if they were a package of meat at the supermarket.
Given the choice, I find hanging out with other GL divers to be more enjoyable. GL is for Gay and Lesbian. It's the short version of GLBTQI.
I've been on "straight" dive trips and I've been on gay and lesbian dive trips. A gay and lesbian trip is where most of the divers are gay and lesbian. That's not to say you would be kicked off the boat for being straight. The gay trips have been far more fun. I've met some fantastic folks who have become good friends thanks to those trips.
Unfortunately, the trip operator I went with has become addicted to high end trips to exotic places. I don't hold that against them, but I'm not going to spend $4K plus airfare to go blow bubbles in Borneo, or Egypt, or wherever the vogue exotic place is this week.
My local area should have a gay and lesbian dive club, but it's just not materialized. I decided earlier this year to start a national club so that I could stay connected with other gay and lesbian divers and put together trips that focused on good diving and reasonable costs. That site is
PrideReef. The content will build over time. There are a bunch of us that are gay and lesbian who like to dive. Honestly, our issues are similar to the ones everyone else has.... but they are unique in their own way. At the core of it we all want good dives, safe dives, and a relaxing environment between dives.
P.S. - Yes I know I'm replying to an old thread... but someone resurrected it a couple of weeks ago. I read most of the thread before replying.