Also, what's more important? Gay rights or world titles that matter?
A few nights ago, at a presentation ceremony in an old Gold Coast casino where your correspondent used to sling cards and occasionally tool horny punters, the Hawaiian Keala Kennelly spoke about being surfing’s first openly gay world champ.
“I hated myself because I didn’t think you could be World Champion and gay at the same time… I get to be proud of who I am and I get to love myself exactly as I am, not as people would want me to be,” said forty-year-old Kennelly.
It must be noted that the world championship was decided after one event, the Women’s Jaws Challenge, and that Kennelly won the event and the title despite not making a takeoff on her two waves.
A world title?
It’s a stretch, I think, and it’s correct that the WSL says it takes a tour to make a title.
Anyway, in response, the “three-time longboard champ” Cori Schumacher surfaced on Facebook to challenge the first openly gay world champ claim.
There is a rewrite of history that is being attempted right now in the annals of professional surfing. It’s frustrating to see this happening. Not only are openly gay professional surfers who remained on tour being erased (I knew them when I was young, and while I was on tour), but the world is also being told by the World Surf League and Keala Kennelly that professional surfing just crowned its first openly gay world surfing champion.
This is incorrect and there are documentaries (OUT in the line-up) and news stories (see below) that prove it’s false.
A huge congratulations to Keala for her Big Wave Tour win, but the record needs to be corrected. She is not the first openly gay surfing champion, nor is she the first openly gay professional surfer.
In 2010, pro surfing crowned its first openly gay world champion. I was not sent an invite to the awards ceremony, so there was no opportunity for me to make a grand statement from the stage, nor did the organization at the time (the Association of Surfing Professionals) recognize the landmark.
I was silenced, erased, and today, professional surfing is attempting to rewrite the past in a way that shows how effective past efforts of erasure are.
In our support of LGBTQ athletes, we need to be aware that there was (and still is) an effort to silence and make invisible LGBTQ folks from the past and women who have fought to make change across history.
We need to do a better job at remembering our history, especially women’s surf history.
“Schumacher, who in 2008 wed her longtime partner, Maria Cerda,… has a history of advocacy… raised awareness for gay rights in surfing…” March 26, 2011 (printed in the New York Times, 3/27, front page of the sports section).
Keala, all class, wrote back:
I would like to make a correction in my acceptance speech. It has been brought to my attention that Cori Schumacher is actually the first professional surfer that came out to the media while holding a world title.
I was completely unaware of the timeline.
I want to give her the respect and recognition she deserves. #womenupliftingotherwomen
I’m completely elated that I can be a World Champion without having to compromise who I am.
For me it’s not about getting the credit for being the first one. My only goal in making that very public statement in front of the entire surfing world at the WSL Awards was to raise awareness about LGBT athletes and the struggle we have gone through so that future LGBT athletes don’t have to go through that.
The @wsl is at the moment really trying to make positive changes in regards to discrimination of LGBT athletes and they have my full support.
Boom. Gavel hits. Matter settled.
The last item on the agenda is the validity of single-event world titles.
From what I can tell, two of Schumacher’s titles, 2000 and 2001, came from winning single events, not sure about the 2010 crown.
Kennelly’s, as we’ve discussed, from two wipeouts.
I think it’s a little rich, personally, to claim a title after one contest, let alone not making a wave.
The gay thing is wonderful, however.
Some of my best friends etc.
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I’m glad that the surfing communities which I’ve been part of have clearly not had much crossover with BG comment posters. What a bunch of douchebags. More than half of it reads like commentary from r/T_D.
Didn’t the one-event Makaha World Championships used to determine the World Champion?
Matt Warshaw says it did:
https://eos.surf/entries/ma…
Annual surfing competition held at Makaha on the west side of Oahu, Hawaii, from 1954 to 1971, usually in November or December; regarded in the late ’50s and early ’60s as the unofficial world championships.
Keala’s response, on her Instagram:
Well I got to enjoy my world title for about 48 hours before I got totally shit 💩 on, publicly humiliated and had it put in print that my world title 🏆was completely illegitimate 😞
I would like to thank Derek Rielly @beach_grit for his lovely article 😒 I’m posting it here because I think it is important that when people use the internet to tear other people down they need to be held accountable.
I would also like to remind him that I could have easily completed waves taking off on the shoulder but I committed myself to the pit (just like the men) risking life and limb at Jaws.
After the women’s final they ran 2 heats of men with no waves completed and then called it off because it was decided it was too big, crazy and dangerous to paddle into.
A few weeks later I flew to Mavericks ready to compete. The contest never got called ON and the world title was based on one event (jaws) same as it was last year and the year before.
Posting an entire article about my world title being illegitimate….
You have no idea how damaging that is for an athlete who has dedicated their entire life to their sport to read.
Especially when they are trying to enjoy the moment they have worked so hard for. It’s not just below the belt it is actually cruel.
You have a platform why not use it to uplift people instead of tear them down and undermine their accomplishments?
I think using the internet to hurt people for the entertainment of others and as “click bait” is slimy AF.
What do you guys think?
If Derek’s slight is what Keala considers “damaging”, I think she’s got it pretty good comparatively speaking. #firstworldprobs
I think Derek asked a valid question.
commitment and dedication over a career may factor into a World Title campaign so yay for KK, but that shouldn’t make the Title itself.
Yes she charged on the day! but it just doesn’t feel like a legitimate World Title to me, more like a best participation award.
The astrix lays heavy on this one.
She’s just a human being, doing the best she can.
Not nice to pick on girls.
WSL are considering a Media Heat at Pipe or Jaws.
Good idea.
No, she’s an althete performing at the highest level.
Not picking on a poor defenseless little girl, she’s a badarse heavy wave charger. Who knows herself next years title will mean more.
Yes! great idea Ben… I would love to rep BeachGrit and surf against you at Pipe.
Athlete.
I emailed WSL this morning about a Media Heat.
Between the semi and the final at Pipe.
Or at Jaws.
Well I’d love to surf pipe again. Not so sure about jaws but I’m game if you are!
This would be a heat for Surf Media – current.
No longer a part of that, thank God.
Not worth doing.
And neither are you. Commenters don’t count.
Commenters are just commenters.
Bye Ben.
Just remember: Don’t lick your fingers.
There is a better way to do this.
If you are going to question/attack the validity of a person or what they did: Interview them.
Ask them the questions directly and let them answer.
That’s how we did it at Surfer and it’s a fairer way of going about things.
Give the person a chance to respond to accusations.
Argue it out in public.
That’s how you do it.
Not snarky attack pieces.
Surfer is dead Ben… Derek’s had that platform also.
And now He’s evolved/devolved into this daily grind.
Ain’t dead yet, but it’s dying.
Which is kind of a shame.
We were lucky to do it when we did it.
Punched out of there while the punching was good – in retrospect.
There was a Golden Era, and we were part of it.
Lucky us.
Yes yes… You’ve said that before Ben.
And it’s still true.
Keala shreds harder than everyone on this post including the author. So instead of criticizing her, why dont you all paddle into a fatty at jaws yourselves on a macking day and take off deep at the peak like she did. Lets see how many of you keyboard whorebags wouldn’t die or shit your pants just sittinf out there let alone trying to make drops. The internet is lame. Go read a book you shitheads.
You tell em…girl power!
Check out KK’s instie. Heavy. Slimy AF Derek lol.
Brave words Derek. True but brave.
You have questioned a woman athlete and she is a lesbian and all.
Please let us know how many Gay groups, womens groups and your general cuckolded liberal males come after you.
I expect your email to be blowing up shortly.
I’ve retreated into my safe space. No words can hurt me here behind my bully-proof windows
and toll-safe doors…
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Also, what’s more important? Gay rights or world titles that matter? Neither for Keala Kennelly. Gay rights (in a Judeo-Christian world that taught in its Bible to condemn & even execute gay people) were granted decades ago. Gay people already have their rights. What is not needed is weaponized Cultural Marxist gay fundamentalism & evangelism.
Well, for one population reduction, two cultural society destruction…the family is toast.
So not one person is gay on the WCT or QS? Kelly should go gay. Would make him way more interesting.
Well, after this thread gets going all the closet gays will come out, we know how you are, but otherwise the posting of them would get you banned.
Are they the ones doing the poo stance rotators?
How many events when Midget won?
I want to know if there are any world champs that flirted with their babysitter, but never even got to 2nd base with her (or him)? Even as a grown adult, still no luck with that babysitter. Any world champs attest to that behavior? It’s important, for unwritten history that should be written, for posterity.
So would Keala Kennelly be the first surfer in history to win a surfing world title without actually making a wave. I get it that the WSL are on the push for the women’s side of things but this is just plain shit. I’m sure Keala would be having a laugh about this.
Seems like a case of “im the only gay in this village”..
https://youtu.be/egBsTP0A-dY
I’ve just received word (disclaimer: I haven’t) from the Dubbya Ass Elle that henceforth all world titles will now contain a number in brackets next to the year for clarity. E.g. in a parallel completely ridiculous universe it might be
Jordy Smith – 2017 (11)
They also asked if everyone can please stop highlighting obvious inconsistencies in how they crown world champions, because it makes their brains hurt.
Well, there are some that say your lifesyle is a ‘choice’ you make, moral or immoral. Some things just seem wrong….
well, Schumacher is right. facts.
as for single event world champions … ummm Olympics anyone?
this post reads as homophobic condecension.
Well DA let’s face it, who gives a shit, I don’t even know the point of this post. I know BG hates Cori because she is a scary person and they don’t even really know KK at all, but both of them are bigger deals than this site.
true
Yup. Facts.
Schumacher is wrong if she thinks she was the first lesbian world champ. 1993 world champ is a lesbian. Jodie Cooper didn’t win a title but is gay. Would not be surprised if there were others before her either What do I care?
it is not why you care, but it can matter to people from these communities.
I meant I don’t care in that if someone is gay it’s none of my business to judge them.
I was a gay longboard world champ, I reckon I’d know that there was a gay world champion seven years earlier than 2000.
As an ageing Anglo male I’ll just shut the fuck up.
I likely wouldn’t have gone on the waves at Jaws even at half the size so I can’t really criticise Keala’s performance either.
Colour me boring
Care factor is zero.
Bunch a heterophobes
I would like to applaud lesbians everywhere on their resolute dedication to aggressive hair cuts.
That’s Tatiana in 10 years
Emi won that contest, she was the only one to choose her waves wisely and make them
Non story, not openly gay enough.
I agree. Emi won that contest. She was the only one who rode a wave to a clean exit. KK shouldn’t have gotten points if she couldn’t make it all the way down the face.
Fair point. Coincidentally, in my younger years, I set up an alternative world tour which only had one event held one morning when I was the only one out. I retrospectively claim World Champion status. And while supporting my LGBTQ* brethren, sistren and other non-gender specific* descriptors, wish to state for the record I am what I am.
Probably too late, but attention: Bex, possible trigger warning.
Do you have a letter in the LGBTQ spectrum?
They are the +.
I was going to say bitchy white male, but thought that might be offensive to crabs.
You are the 1%
Sounds like something I could win.
Doubt it. I employed myself as the sole judge.
I’ll ride a lazer zap
If I compete in this tour and win 8 titles, would I be tied with Layne Beachley?
According to the rules, set by the LNttPSL Corporation Incorparated, you have been stripped of all and any titles due to not paying your dues.