Sea queen

For the British Empire ship, see Sea Queen.

Sea queens is a term referring to gay men who worked aboard mainly merchant vessels before the 1960s. They were predominantly effeminate men who worked in entertainment or as waiters on cruise ships, often acting as off-shore 'wives' for heterosexual sailors during voyages. They were also present in the Navy, as described in the nonfiction monograph Hello Sailor! The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea by Paul Baker and Jo Stanley, which shares their stories and experiences. The use of Polari language and the attempted expulsion of gay male sailors in Newport, Rhode Island after World War I can also be traced back to sea queens.

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