Embodying the Ineffable: An Exploration of Switch, the First-ever Exhibition of Queer Surfing

Abstract

This paper explores the first ever exhibition of queer surfing, also known as Switch: An Exhibition of Queer Surfing, Against the Binary Against Hierarchy, which hosted more than 40 non-binary, trans, and queer surfers at Linda Mar beach in Pacifica, California in June 2023. Switch intended to serve as a non-traditional showcase of queer and trans wave riding, without divisions based on gender, board, or body. This paper investigates how Switch aimed to resist male hegemony in surf culture, and renegotiate the dominant values ascribed to contemporary surf culture, with its emphasis on professionalization, competitiveness, and conformity. Employing a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants and organizers of Switch to explore how they perceived the event and its larger implications. Through thematic analysis, this study found that Switch cultivated queer possibility and articulations of liberation for study participants. Switch was regarded as successful in affirming their queer and surfer identities simultaneously, presenting opportunities to envision what a queer future in surfing may look like. The findings indicate that queer surfers seek to create alternative spaces within this social practice where the vibrancy and joy of queer culture can be boldly and aesthetically surfaced.