"Tyler's queerness should not have to be a burden or an obstacle in her workplace."
The World Surf League is coming under increasing fire from the greater Wright family for its decision to host a Championship Tour event in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi, the brave little city that could, just weeks ago unveiled its brand-new Kelly Slater-designed wave tank to much applause. The “largest surf pool in the world” features the same technology perfected in Lemoore, California and the WSL instantly inked the facility to a three-year CT slot.
While many professionals surfers might be overjoyed with the possibility of experiencing famed Arab hospitality plus all the glitz and glamor of Abu Dhabi’s neighbor Dubai, the aforementioned Wrights are not amongst them.
Days ago, Wright’s younger brother Mikey, receiver of multiple wildcards, lit into the WSL on Instagram, publicly declaring, “You have no business putting on an event at a location where my sister can be sentenced by law with the death penalty. So much for equality and equal rights, only when it’s convenient to wsl. You have supported the LGBTQ flag on her shoulder but now you want to strip it and be hush hush to get her to a location that she’s at risk of this punishment. You have the responsibility to protect your athletes, interested to see how you think you can protect her against the law.”
His wife later joined the fray, adding, “Nice to see you guys are factoring in the safety of the contestants lives when choosing locations.”
And now Tyler’s own wife has hopped on top of the pile-on. You certainly recall two-ish years ago when she and Lilli Baker tied the knot. “Not a dry eye in the house,” Derek Rielly wrote at the time.
Well, mad as hell, Lilli took the lash to the World Surf League, salvoing, “Unfortunately homosexuality is illegal at one of the locations and my wife can legally be sentenced to death or imprisonment if she tries to attend. Tyler has competed on this tour for over 14 years and has had the pride flag on her jersey since 2020. Even after winning two world titles she is still not valued enough by the WSL to be considered when they sold this event.”
Heavy but not finished as she tightened the screws with her finishing move, poking directly into the World Surf League’s DEI push, adding, “Tyler’s queerness should not have to be a burden or an obstacle in her workplace.”
Hammertown.
The Abu Dhabi Pro, scheduled Feb. 14 – 16 is right around the corner, with a squint. Do you think pressure from the greater Wright clan will force a cancelation or do you imagine all will continue as planned, Tyler maybe even winning with her patented backside attack?
More, certainly, as the story develops.
They will be cancelled next year. Just like other sports teams with racially inspired names have been lately.
That image would get photo of the year.
Looks like she’ll be sitting this one out!! or grow so balls between the 2 of them and go surf it and win.
One of many reasons why the WSL should never have even considered an event there and another example of how Slates has lost the plot. He may have encountered a brain eating bug like his buddy RFK Jr.
Churt
Oh no – I smell a setup. Instead of focusing on the 10 million more important things than LGBTQWS… we will have to endure Tyler getting free press not for surfing but for complaining about how hard her existence is.
Worlds Slowest Learners totally blindsided on this one. Hopefully Tyler’s airway will widen enough for her to compete in the World’s largest cis-pool. I’m just here for the stoning….
I walked behind Tylers Misso once, Tylers punching above her weight
I understand that you have not read the Bible in context, but it’s an interesting conversation so I’ll play along.
Christians read both the OT and the NT, but do not practice “Mosaic Law” which was imposed at a particular time to establish and reinforce Gods dominion in the hearts of the 12 tribes of Judah.
The OT provides context and prophesies the birth, life and death of Christ.
Originally Moses provided the 12 tribes with 613 commandments, which later became only ten commandments. In modern times you have the Torah which is the original 5 books (historical context) and the Talmud which is the law, that has gone through many reformations through Rabbinical interpretation and modernity.
Christians have different guidance because of the salvation of Christ.
However, Christs teachings are not the negative law in which disobedience was punishable, but a positive way of living in which you could achieve redemption, grace and a direct relationship with God, which is what ran him afoul of the Sanhedrin, because them Rabbi did nit like Jesus challenging “the Law” which kept the people under control, and them rich.
BTW- there is a large population of Messianic Jews that believe in Jesus.
we could go pretty in depth with this but I know you have no actual interest in any of it and going any further will just lead to mockery…so that’s that, and really this article is about Sharia, not Judaism or Christianity……but haters gonna hate.
You must be the son of a preacher man.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZLgsDRUv4&pp=ygUVc29uIG9mIGEgcHJlYWNoZXIgbWFu
..interestingly, of the 613 “commandments” [Mitzvot], 365 are negative [“thou shalt not…”] and 248 are positive [thou shalt etc]. a negative commandment for every day in the solar year, and a positive commandment for “every bone in the body” [give or take].
Yep
I hear you Happy, but still the same god who rampaged through the ot slaughtering tens of thousands of canaanites, including women and children, right?? None of that disappears just bc a NT apostle had a dream about eating a bunch of non kosher meat did it?? Not quite interpreting golden tablets under a weird hat at your kitchen table level odd, but still kind of messed up, don’t you think??
Yep, a bit confusing I agree, but I think the simplest explanation is in the commandment:”Thou shalt have no other Gods before me”, which leads to the question: are there more Gods than one? Personally I believe so, and in that, the “Almighty God” was at war with other gods. Cananities, etc. worshiped other gods so the almighty God basically was proving it’s dominion over all things and giving the land to it’s faithful.
But, I also personally believe it goes back much further, to the Antediluvian period (1600 years) prior to the destruction of the surface of the planet by flood. There is evidence that points to an extraordinarily advanced civilization that existed prior to the flood. it is believed that at the time of the flood there was approximately 4 billion people that inhabited the planet. Considering the Genesis story, that Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, it could be theorized that they and the civilization were recipients of extreme knowledge and that when God destroyed the planet, he left one man and that mans family to restart civilization and keep the “knowledge” protected, because of what had occurred prior.
RE: OT v. NT. There are 66 books in the Bible which are essentially a recordation of history in the eyes of the authors. As we see in modern times, all story telling has it’s biases and flaws. To me it’s more about the context of the content the the literal reading.
However, there are many other books that were not included in the Bible such as the book(s) of Enoch. My questions are not so much about what is written in the bible, but what was left out. How can you disappear a 1600 yr. period, that resulted in God literally cleansing the planet of mankind?
NT is not meant to “disappear” OT. the OT is used to illustrate not only the power of God but the failings of man in those times. NT is the continuation of the story that was foretold of a savior who would come, who basically said the old ways are done, and that people who believe in God are saved and their sins going forward are forgiven through his sacrifice, and if you ask for forgiveness it is given.. Jesus came to share the loving side of God.
Okay haters, the doors open….have at it.
There’s a book called ‘the gods were astronauts’, its good fun. Claims that gods from antediluvian civilizations spread around the world were nothing but aliens on spaceships. I can totally believe that.
Thou shall not have other Gods but me…..But many people put their trust in other things, such as power or pleasure or wealth or technology, which become their false Gods…..
The first sign of wisdom is the fear of God, and his wrath as is seen in the OT
yep, #1 ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ‘ This is the greatest and first commandment. #2 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
yep Jews read the old testament…and do not accept Jesus as the son of God!
the far right so called Christians cherry pick Old testament and mostly ignore the New testament, as they never pass the Jesus test’
would Jesus, build walls to stop poor people from trying to improve their lives, would he ban other denominations, would he not take care of the poor/widows/and the orphans?
There’s a lot of “far right” that are not Christians and a lot of Christians that are not “far right”…or even right, and a few liberals that aren’t assholes. The OT is considered by Christians to be a historical text providing context leading to the birth of Christ.
The NT is basically a guide that essentially says, If you want to live good life this is how to do it.
re: borders. the wall that you speak off is a preventive mechanism that is meant to protect, not harm. It is meant to protect the people of America and the people of other countries. Jesus actually said to obey the government and their laws, and our government is elected to protect it’s citizens, so would Jesus have been opposed to the wall, probably not?
re: the poor, widows, and orphans, yes, we are supposed to care for these people and we do through charity and our taxes, but every neighbor in every town in every country is supposed to care for their poor, their widows, their orphans….and if the only solution is for all the poor, widows and orphans to flock to America, Australia, or another more prosperous country then what does that do to the country of their origin?
If you had 3-5 million immigrants entering Australia every year, what would happen? you don’t need a wall because you are bordered by the ocean on all sides. Easy to sit there and throw shit when you don’t have to deal with it.
I moved to Australia for a better life, and I was living great in Australia until I was told to leave when I overstayed my visa.
By your logic, those Fuckers should have let me stay.
you have to admit it’s pretty fucked up how many Christians (not saying you necessarily) are so eager to take everything in scripture completely literally — except for the things Jesus literally actually said. How is it that his teachings are metaphors and Paul’s are literal? Have never been able to wrap my head around that one. Seems totally backwards.
yeah, completely agree. I have friends like that and it drives me nuts.
the ones that say: “If it isn’t in the Bible then it isn’t of God”.
There have been so many renditions, editions, edits, reformations and changes to the Bible and the removal of books throughout history, mostly based on the political atmosphere of the time. I’m more into understanding the context of the content, especially when applied to the time(s) when it was written and its authors.
RE: Jesus and Paul.
basically, Jesus was the Teacher. He spoke in parable, metaphor and questions. easier to teach through illustration, application and questions that require the interactivity and thought of the student.
Paul on the other hand was at the forefront of the Christian movement and recruited followers by relating his personal experiences, what was revealed to him in prayer, and how living as a Christian would effect a followers life. Paul was more of a guidance counselor…..and a prophet, as much of what he wrote about is significant today.
Jesus was a lot more than a teacher !
yep, but I’m trying to keep it simple for the non-believers.
my dad was a preacher and I have a degree in biblical studies, which included nearly a minor in koine greek and translating NT texts from the original greek … so no need to keep it simple lol – although you’re right, I’m a non believer these days
that said, generally agree with your points, actually
now there’s a story…….really interested to know what changed you especially as you have understanding of the Bible?
woke up one day and it was like someone turned off the light switch. Just stopped believing. Can’t put my finger on why, although I did have lots of questions over the years, read a whole lot, was kind of obsessed with apologetics for a while, historical facts about Jesus, etc etc. I guess all that discontent/searching was an indicator that just took a while to bubble to the surface.
Light switch went off probably around 10 years or so ago. To be honest, immediately felt like this huge weight lifted. Just felt free and authentic, like immediately. Hard to explain but true, and still true every day. Since then the things that jump out at me and continually reaffirm my lack of belief are the problem of suffering and just the general wackiness of religion when you step back from inside it and look from 10,000 feet. These aren’t the things that led me to stop believing in the first place (at least not consciously), but they are the things that jump out at me like neon lights all the time nowadays.
All of that said, I actually still attend church pretty regularly. It’s a pretty progressive congregation, at least in the broader American christian sense, that embraces the LGBT community, doesn’t hold tight to scriptural literalism, does a whole lot in the community for those who need it, tries to take Jesus’ words literally and all the other biblical writers’ with a grain of salt — basically the kind of church I would want to be a member of if I were still a believer. I sort of feel like a member of the church of Jesus without god.
I sorta did the same thing , brought up strict Anglican , altar boy , sunday school teacher/senior scout/Choir boy…then at 16 parents said I had a choice , so I quit everything and went surf/party/girls etc for over 40 years……but as I have had 23 near death experiences now …the eternal question came….why do I keep dodging bullets and why does life seem so meaningless with out a higher power to answer to and a set of rules/morals to live by…so went full circle into the church on the Nth Shore called the Mission with eric A…..been bumpy but makes more sense now…having said that I see so much hypocrisy in our Western churches trying to be middlemen between God and congregation…non-denominal churches…even calvary Chapel….and yes we try to take Jesus literally and not just cherry pick what we want!!!
Good for you, Glad you have found a path, can be such a difficult thing to navigate. Maybe I’ll end up back there too, never rule anything out anymore. Feel pretty peaceful these days though, as opposed to all the inner turmoil back in the god era. But who knows, miles to go as they say (knock on wood). And as a total aside, funny how BG ends up the forum for all these discussions
you never know in this theater, who your audience is.
I’m sure we would have some amazing discussions. You are definitely more knowledgeable than I.
I find the Bible and the entire history of it fascinating.
What’s your thoughts on the Antediluvian period….in a nut shell?
my comment was a little too smug, can’t give too much credit to bible college educations, lol … not to mention that was decades ago. As to the AD period – to tell the truth, I’ve never looked at it very closely, just accepted the standard historical narratives I read in National Geographic – maybe I need to expand my mind!
Nah Jesus would have opposed the wall…and the NT /Gospels set a new set of laws and Christ died and was resurrected for our sins and we are to accept God’s son as our Saviour as he took on our sin and died…it is not a guide but the law…”guide that essentially says, If you want to live good life this is how to do it.”…nah !
I mean lets look at some facts here…2 m illegal immigrants entered , not 3-5 m….it’s man’s who comes up with that the illegal immigrants are criminals there fore we need to protect our country…even though immigrants have a lower crime stat than legal americans.
The fact remains that Gods law and the Gospels still override the Government’s law even though the western rule of law is based on the bible….Sometimes we don’t see the big picture and become self serving as to our daily problems and challenges and take parts of the Bible to justify our self serving behavior..
as for Australia’s illegal immigrants , yeah we stop them coming by boats because if they are caught they go to off shore prisons….
Well, surfing is a risky sport… Just ask Jeff Spicolli.
Tylers fam kind of fucked Tyler here.
had they not made an issue of her homosexuality, certainly Abu Dhabi would not have given two fucks about her gayety, and had she and Lilli avoided any Public Displays of Affection (PDA), there’d be no drama…..but it’s the Wright family where drama is life.
Incidentally, in Abu Dhabi, PDA amongst heterosexuals, even married couples is frowned upon and illegal in some situations.
Then boycott the event already
oh, she’s obviously not going. the question becomes how many other surfers she can get to join her in that boycott.
Focus Ho.
This article is about TYLER WRIGHT and the spotlight should shine brightly in Tyler as always……not you and your anti-christian bigotry.
BTW- Christianity has nothing to do with “killing your children, beating and stoning your wife and many other evil things”. That’s all Old Testament stuff.
RIPCUNT just sacked it’s CEO I’d be more worried about keeping my sponsorship if I was her.
Maybe if Tyler just shuts the fuck up and respects another countries rules and culture (be they wrong or right) there is no story ? Never got why homosexuals have to be so vocal about it
PRIDE!
https://youtu.be/IBjOY2KyGBs?si=XtzQxSLvpletISms
A Public Dis‐Service Announcement From The WSL
“People have the right to the truth.
Unvarnished. Even uncomfortable.
But never subjugated to a cause, however noble or well-meaning.
They have the right to clear thinking.
Slogans, boycotts and protests don’t offer answers…
(I)t has been suggested that the WSL should pull out of developing nations altogether.
The surfing would certainly continue to grow.
The business would continue operating.
The vast majority of the employees would remain in place.
But the sound and ethical business practices synonymous with the WSL
the environmental investment,
and the tens of millions of dollars spent on community programs would all be lost.
Again, it’s the people of developing nations that you would hurt.
It’s easy enough to sit in your comfortable homes in the West,
calling for sanctions and boycotts against a developing country.
But you have to be sure that knee-jerk reactions won’t do more harm than good.
Some campaigning groups say that we should intervene in the political process in developing nations.
But even if we could, we must never do so.
Politics is the business of governments and politicians.
The world where companies use their economic influence to prop up or bring down governments
would be a frightening and bleak one indeed.”
I think the world where companies use their economic influence…are called lobby groups…and that’s what we are living now!
A death sentence for homosexuality is a fucked up law even if you don’t think that’s the right way for people to live.
It’d be cool if she keeps protesting it while participating, acting out while she’s there, flying that rainbow flag and doing her best to make the WSL look like asses in front of both their new friends (the sheikhs) and old (the liberals). Wright would be one of the few people who has a good reason to go to UAE and loudly protest it in relative safety
Based on Tyler’s past moves I’d say she’s more likely to loudly boycott. And fair enough too, it’s swell when people risk their safety for change but it’s also no obligation
Shirley, if they refrain from holding hands etc in view of the Abu Dabs public, and is within the private venue of said nocean / hotel, they’ll not be harrassed by teh po-po?
I just got off the phone with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
he promises not to chop off Tylers head…..as long as Lili promises not to tongue Tylers ear in public.