On the 12th of April, my dear friend, Ernesto Corpus, sent a private
message on Facebook to a small group of LGBT activists.
Read on.
***
Scene yesterday at Cheung Sha Beach, Lantau Island. Time – around
1.00pm. Cheung Sha Beach has long had a reputation for au naturel
sunbathing, especially amongst gay men.
Yesterday, while topping up my tan, a 30-something woman rowed in on a
kayak and started to berate the sunbathers, saying how ‘disgusting’ we
were, that there was ‘nothing worth seeing,’ and if we didn’t cover up,
she’d call the police immediately.
She rowed back and forth along the shoreline, making sure that the
nine guys including myself did as she ordered. Seeing as I was the last
to reluctantly follow she rowed into shore and confronted me directly,
saying that what we were doing was ‘illegal.’ I argued back that she
should also scold the dog owners who walk their dogs ‘illegally’ on the
same beach.
She said that was ‘none of her business’ and she hated gays who were shameless and disgusting.
Thing is, I was the only one of all the guys (7 Chinese locals and 1 other gweilo) who dared answer her back. Was I wrong? Why didn’t nobody else stand up to her?
Thing is, I was the only one of all the guys (7 Chinese locals and 1 other gweilo) who dared answer her back. Was I wrong? Why didn’t nobody else stand up to her?
***
The story made me wonder what I’d do in the same situation.
The fact that the woman attacked from a kayak – an armada of one –
made her too comical. I wouldn’t have answered her back, either, because
I would have been too busy taking a video of her on my iPhone. She has
all the makings of an instant internet celebrity, like the cantankerous
Bus Uncle. I could see the blurb, now:
“Life is a beach. Drink beer, not hate-o-rade.”
“Life is a beach. Drink beer, not hate-o-rade.”
Clearly, the woman is entitled to express an opinion (although the
manner in which she did it verged on harassment). Contrary to popular
belief, Cheung Sha Beach is neither officially gay nor nudist. Sure, it
has had that reputation for years and has even earned cultish status
amongst gay tourists. It could even be argued that gayness (not illegal)
and nudity (indeed, illegal) have become part of the beach’s
vernacular. The area is hardly ever policed; the cops have better things
to do. And so it falls on each visitor’s individual sense of
responsibility to be discreet and respectful toward other beach bums.
Sex and/or orgies on the beach in broad daylight – and they have been
known to happen – definitely count as disrespectful behaviour. Get a
room. Better yet, jump into The Cockpit.
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| THE NON-HYPERACTIVE CHRIS™ |
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