"This is an example of what not to do as a brand. If you are a true alley, you must have our back when bigots come or us."
Rule number one when you’re getting adverse publicity like the heat scorching Rip Curl over the last week, don’t do a damn thing.
Every reaction, every quote, every explanation or apology feeds the media cycle like oxygen to a fire.
Rip Curl had made a post celebrating the trans-surfer Sasha Jane Lowerson (neé Western Australian longboard champ Ryan Egan) not long after splitting with Bethany Hamilton over her anti-trans women in sports views.
The beauty of the Rip Curl post was its complete acceptance of Lowerson into the sisterhood. ie. no transition talk.
Meet Sasha – a West Australian waterwoman who loves the freedom found in surfing, disconnecting from the mainstream, and the feeling of dancing on constantly changing waves. When we were adventuring through Western Australia recently, we were keen to know what The Search means to the surfers who crossed our paths. These surfers live on a wild stretch of coast where there’s always a new wave or campsite just a little further down the road or off the beaten track. It’s a state of mind, always being ready to try something new, curious to seek out knowledge and learn the rules – and break them.
“Sometimes it isn’t even the actual surf, it’s the journey itself, the chats that we have in the car on the long straight roads here in WA and the campfire afterwards,” Lowerson says. “Friendships grow on the search and I love that.”
“You mean to tell me that Rip Curl dropped Bethany Hamilton for opposing men surfing in the women’s league then picked up male surfer who surfs in the women’s league as a women’s ambassador?”
When Rip Curl refused to react even as the firestorm spread worldwide and their customers were burning boardshorts and throwing their booties in the trash and the hashtag @boycottripcurl trended on X, I admired their restraint.
A few more days and like the North Korean slave scandal of 2016, it’d disappear.
But, no, and dumb.
Today’s apology.
“Our recent post has landed us in the divisive space around transgender participation in competitive sport. We want to promote surfing for everyone in a respectful way, but recognize we upset a lot of people with our post and for that, we are sorry. To clarify, the surfer featured has not replaced anyone on the Rip Curl team and is not a sponsored athlete.”
View this post on Instagram
Ugh.
Now everyone hates ’em.
Surf Equity describes the “so-called” apology as “divisive, anti-trans, and discriminatory. The LGBTQIA+ community is appalled. Aligning with bigots harms your brand identity and fails to support your LGBTQIA+ employees.”
(If you’re wondering what the I and the A stand for its intersex and asexual.)
Allison DeYenno on Kauai there writes,
“This is an example of what not to do as a brand. If you want to show up as an ally or the LGBT+ community, then you have to go all the way. If you are a true ally, you must have our back when bigots come or us. Not act like cowards and delete posts and say you’re sorry or pretending to be an ally in the first place.”
Are you a true ally?
Or do you see a raft of female impersonators driving a fatal stake into the hearts of progressives who are, truly, flummoxed by what to do about former men in gal’s sports?
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Lets be clear. The LGB✂TQIA+ community is not appalled.
In fact the LGB community generally is more on the side of not crushing womens sport by including biological males.
As a gay man I hate what’s happening. It is just not fair to women. Period. Forcing one group to suffer so a tiny minority can thrive is not how you do it.
Men have no right to take away women’s rights and opportunities. This dude should surf with other men.
911 Operator: This is 911 what’s your emergency?
JSC: Hurry! I need to report there’s a one-armed, blond female ultraconservative Taliban-level Christian bigot who wants to exclude biological males from competing in women’s sports events!!
911 Operator: Sir, what exactly is your emergency?
JSC: She has veered wildly out of her lane and nobody asked for her opinion!!
911 Operator: Sir, try to calm down. I’m attempting to get you some help but I need to know your emergency.
JSC: She’s not a scientist nor a person of any significant educational or competitive accomplishments at all !! She also attends bible studies and is known for little more than her left arm getting bitten off by a Tiger shark !!
911 Operator: Sir, listen to me! Is anyone hurt?
JSC: Yes! I’m very butthurt and angry. Very angry with her! She thinks she quit Rip Curl but they really fired her !!
911 Operator: Sir this does not sound like any emergency. Should I send an officer out to speak with you?
JSC: But, but, but, she only has a neighbor island high school education and she’s lived her entire life on an isolated island in the north Pacific Ocean !!
911 Operator: Sir, please …
JSC: She knows nothing about the science of gender identity !! She’s delusional !!
911 Operator: Okay. Stay right where you are sir. I’m sending you some help right now.
That was a good one – bravo!
Fuck off you faker/wannabe/dork.
Back to your usual anti-haole racism and threats of violence – you can do better, as demonstrated.
As for moi, I am not fake at all. I post under my own name and my opinions are completely my own.
Here you go –
https://medium.com/@johnsea…
You are desperately pathetic.
Listen closely this time: Fuck off you/faker/wannabe/dork.
Here’s more, since you seem to be extremely ignorant – just trying to help
https://linktr.ee/surfexplo…
For Christ sakes – what would really help if you understood what a small-time bit player and dead-industry remora poseur that you actually are.
That, along with your Dunning-Kruger syndrome and your sad desperation to be recognized, including your pitiful and I-so-badly-wannabe-a-player-myspace/EOS/please-please-look-at-my-websites.
That’s not even mentioning your inexplicable and psycho obsessive hate for Bethany along with your crybaby running to mommy Negatron and hiding under her skirt when your feelings get hurt just because you hate all real Hawaiian locals.
Nobody gives two fucks about who you want to be or who you pretend to be. Nobody here in Hawaii/O’ahu knows who the hell you are and that includes your purported Punahou attendance claims. What exact year did you graduate and exactly where and when did you live here? I’ve called you out before to verify your fake creds but you failed to respond. I wonder why.
All of your posts are sad testimonies to your desperate need for recognition with your dubious and self-reported bio full of made-up fantasies and unmitigated hate for Bethany and Hawaiians.
Get a life, go back to the Inertia and leave Bethany alone. But most of all, just fuck right off you sad and despicable wanker/faker/ wannabe/dork/hater/kook.
Whew – you sure are bitter and jealous – maybe you need to get a life?
Here’s more – lots more documentation to follow, you obviously need to see it if you think I am a wannabe or a fake player.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjzAYPiG
As for my Hawaii credentials, it’s all true – Punahou School Buff and Blu 1841, brah.
We used to ask Barry (that’s President Obama to you) to go with us to Outrigger after school to check out their in-house tankers and surf at Old Man’s, but he always had basketball practice.
Barry (no one knew his real name was “Barack”) was a cool guy and popular – one tended to forget he was pretty much the ONLY black guy in the entire school, as Hawaii did not have many black people other than military people at that time.
I don’t hate Hawaiians – why should I? I have NEVER said anything derogatory about ethnic Polynesian people, ever (?)
Lots of fake Hawaiians in Hawaii, though – Filipinos. Micronesians, Portagees, Japoni, etc playing like they are “Hawaiian” when in fact – they are not.
As for Bethany Hamilton, my problem with her is she bases her objections to trans people on her ultraconservative religious beliefs – not on any scientific facts regarding gender identity.
There are PLENY of reasons male to female trans people should not compete on a level playing field with biological women – that is not in dispute, testosterone is a powerful hormone and years of exposure to testosterone confers an unassailable athletic advantage.
Religious bias and judgement should NOT be part of the participation debate in any way, yet I doubt Bethany knows much or particularly cares about the science of gender identity – for brainwashed religious fanatics, the science is irrelevant.
That’s why she got fired by Rip Curl and why she will do well in her new career and as a far-right motivational speaker.
If you can’t understand the distinction between science and religion, then YOU are the one with the problem.
Banter is expected on this site – if you can’t handle it, then leave. But your postings REGULARLY cross the line to vicious hated, expressions of anti-haole racism and threats of physical violence.
Not sure what your problem is other than being from Hawaii, where violence is usually the first option to settling disputes, but it’s your problem – not mine.
Let me know when you want to see more documentation – there is a lot available!
Wow, that old adage is so true. When a liar tells a lie he needs to tell ten more just to cover for his first lie.
Let’s peel back just one of your many deceptions. Barry graduated Punahou in 1979. My girlfriend was in his same class. My sister graduated Punahou in 1978. I graduated St Louis in 1977. Except for Barry, we are all born and raised in east O’ahu. My sister was Barry’s manager at Baskin Robbins on King St. Barry’s best friend, then and now, was Titty-man. We all were tight friends and we all ran in the exact same social and sports circles. We used to smoke weed together in the freezer walk-in at Baskin Robbins. Barry used to chop blow on the drop-down glove compartment in Titty’s VW Bug parked at Sandy beach. Titty was notorious for drugs and dealing. Barry was fully complicit if not tacitly. Barry did not ever surf as you falsely assert. He barely, if rarely, even bodysurfed. Barry and I played hoops regularly together at Crane, Kapalono and Kaimuki parks. Barry hated Hawaii and he hated Punahou. He told me many times that he couldn’t wait to leave Hawaii and he did just that after graduation.
Your fakery knows no bounds. From 1974 to 1980 there is no record of your name as an alumnus at Punahou. You say you have “documentation” but yet you’ve failed to provide when you attended Punahou and exactly where and when you lived in Hawaii. Pretenders like you always think they can say they’re “from Hawaii” thinking they won’t get busted. Until they are. Like now.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c… Ha – ha.
Yes, “Titty” is Bobby Titcomb.
We know all that – Barry smoked weed and worked at Baskin-Robbins, it was well-documented.
I NEVER said I graduated from Punahou School – I did attend Punahou for longer than any other school in my life from elementary school to sophomore year, so I consider Punahou as the greatest educational influence in my life other than UCLA. I spent my last two years and graduated from Radford in 1979 – public high school for haole.
I do recall study hall at Cooke Library with Don King and Tommy Boyle – Don showed us some fresh b/w prints he took at North Beach with his Nikonos with Jim Shipman – was incredible at the time.
Radford was like vacation, after private school – surf in the morning, have 25 cent school lunch, two classes in the afternoon, and done –
And yes – there were a LOT more druggies at Punahou than there were at Radford – they had the money!
Ask Happy Camper if you need verification –
I could name names of classmates at Punahou I was (and am) good friends with for many years, but I don’t think that is necessary, it is really none of your business.
We KNOW Barry was more of a bodysurfer than a surfer – and more of a basketball guy than either.
I personally wasn’t much of a Sandy’s guy – we did go there, but I was more of a park at DeRussey and surf Kaiser Bowl and Lefts kind of guy.
My academic history is all on my Facebook profile and has been for more than ten years. Nothing has changed.
I would suggest you find something else to spend your time on – it is VERY strange to do research and be obsessively interested in someone you do not know and to make threats and wild accusations to that person based on your own delusions.
Not sure what your problem is, but you can admit you were completely wrong and then, find something or someone else to be interested in – THANK YOU
This is beautiful
allied; allying
Synonyms of ally
transitive verb
: to unite or form a connection or relation between : associate
used in Sasha’s offense/defense: (S)He allied
himit’s self with awealthysurfing family by marriage, to his-self.news update: SASHA HAS THE GOUT
Coincidentally, the NYT just published the below piece today. Definitely worth a read. Notwithstanding it’s the NYT, it’s fair and balanced: https://www.nytimes.com/202…
We will look back on this time with the same disdain as forced sterilizations.
And lobotomies
And circumcision!
Nice article. Lots of comments that mirror my thoughts. Too many of the centre left have been sucked into supporting far left ideology and have not realised it.
Imagine meeting your Dream Waterwoman only to find out later he’s a Waterman! False Advertising Brah! Transformers “More than meets the Eye”👀….
I’m just confused.
First Rip Curl support diversity but hate Catholics.
Than delete anything too do with supporting diversity but obviously still hate Catholics.
Now they are sorry they offended those of us celebrating they are different but Rip curl doesn’t say sorry to Catholics.
Maybe There poster boy , Mick Fanning was just towing the rip curl party line when he said, “ gas all Jews and Catholics “?
I don’t know, it’s all untrue till we have prof?
proof is in the holy water. baptized? don’t matter just confess and give me 10 Our Fathers and 50 laird-like push-ups. (from a recovering altar boy. never molested!)
they are fucking good and their boardies
Cut his knackers off. See how he enjoys plundering women’s titles after that.
So much going on in surfing right now. How good! Philly, RC, Pipe… Coming thick and fast like a bukkake circle 💦💦💦
Not a lot of proofing going on. Just saw.
That’s 40 proofing
i thought Sarsha was just Owen Wright with new hair gunning for a re-sign ?
I’d like to see RipCrap get called out for the lot , including appropriating the endless summer poster , creating massive overcrowding at once secluded surf breaks and fucking over untold numbers of locals via the search and lastly but by far not the least supporting slave labour as previously widely reported and acknowledged.
Fuck RipCurl.
“creating massive overcrowding at once secluded surf breaks”
The vast majority of the companies hosting foreign surfing visitors in the Salina Cruz region are owned and operated by Mexican nationals.
The Rip Curl Search event and subsequent publicity gave these people an opportunity to earn a living in México, in a region where paying jobs were hard to come by, from their own natural resources and efforts to host foreign surfing visitors – why should you or anyone else have a problem with that?
Far better than “secret spots” hoarded by gringos, who contribute as little as possible to the local economy.
If you want to surf high-quality empty waves in warm water, there are many other place to do that – here is one of them.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Comment paid for by rip curl
plagiarizing Sam George?
I think it’s unfair to mention there support of North Korea and helps fund terror organisations .
Let’s ask Neil Ridgeway his thoughts about slave labourers and the surf big business?
had a Ridgeway as a neighbor. he came over and banged on my door that my music was too loud. it was 6PM. Neil was a mtn climber no?
He was editor of thacks or asl (maybe birh).
turn the deep Purple down…
Dude, the endless summer, morning of the earth and let’s face it, gidget, did more to expose surf spots than “the search”. Christ, when did they start that marketing campaign, 1990?
The Search came out on VHS in ‘92 I recall. Good surf movie
Gorilla (guerilla?), for your chalice:
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Rip Curl really hung Sasha out to dry. Was surprised they used the language they did because it will poke the hornet’s nest and a real chance of making things worse for them.
I get a lot of amusement out of seeing Surf Equality flailing around trying to get someone to like their post. I’m still half convinced that it’s a deep fake set up by Chas and Derek.
I’m bummed that Surf Equity blocked me after I commented on a post of theirs saying how impressive and massive Tyler Wrights thighs are and how powerful and masculine her turns are due to her thick and manly thighs. They must have thought my compliments were actually making fun of her powerful, masculine physique and promptly blocked me.
I’m still coming to terms with their blatant discrimination of my white male privilege.
Stay strong brother ✊
Thoughts and prayers 🙏
Tyler & Felipe has da gouts!
you! epitamy of a male body…and sound mind(s)…
Surf equity is Sabrina Brennan, a VAL from Mobile, Alabama, who moved to California and lives with her wife, two rabbits and two cats. No wonder she’s nuts.
two arms good, one arm better?
All those people saying they don’t have a problem with trans women, only if they’re competing in women’s divisions, they’re all showing their true colours now. This had nothing to do with competition, it was just a lifestyle advertisment. It wasn’t about physical advantages at all, those people just hate trans women.
I dont hate you
I don’t hate people with mental illnesses.
I’m a bit of a knuckle dragger but I fully agree with you , just shows how intolerable some folks really are.
Hmmmm I half agree, but there’s also some peeps who have an aversion to SJL because she competes in the women’s division and they don’t think that’s fair. If she didn’t do that, or if she kept competing in the men’s/open division, yes there would still be backlash but it would be a little different.
Not that I think it’s fair for someone going through hormone treatment to try and match up with dudes who are pumping with the testosterone. It’s just a weird situation where the decision she’s had to make for her mental wellbeing (and which sounds like it was totally necessary!) complicates her ability to surf competitively.
I have less of a problem with them than I do people like you, who think pretending a mentally ill man is a woman makes you some paragon of high virtue. There’s not a single person that actually thinks that “Sasha” is a woman, which is why your validation seeking is so painfully transparent and cringe-inducing
If someone competes and wins events/titles they will be seen as a competitor. Many think SJL is a nob for her competitive choices and won’t see her in a positive light ever again.
…Martin Potter the 1989 world champ
Once Upon A Time From Hunter’s Laptop…
First to rub the GOAT wins..
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
colgate , schick or that lotion that covers up beaver? sex wax?
It’s the outrage of the week.
At BG it’s the outrage of 3x a day.