‘Below Deck Med’: Lloyd Spencer Never Planned on Going Public as Being Sexually Fluid
Lloyd Spencer from Below Deck Mediterranean surprised himself when he opened up to the crew (and viewers) about being sexually fluid. Spencer hinted throughout the entire episode about being bullied on a previous boat but then broke down to chief stew Katie Flood, sharing that he was attacked for his sexuality. The crew rallied around him, being extremely supportive, but Spencer worried about the moment being televised.
Lloyd Spencer did not plan on coming out on ‘Below Deck Mediterranean’
Spencer admitted that the moment when he broke down on the show was completely organic. “I was absolutely not planning on opening up about that whatsoever,” he told E! “It was purely an in-the-moment thing, the level of comfort and security I felt around [my team], and the topics of conversation that had previously been discussed that evening was certainly a big factor in that.”
Despite the hugs and support he received in the moment, he worried about how the crew would react the next day. “But I think the greatest thing was when I woke up in the morning and I was exceptionally worried about it. You wake up, you’re a little hungover, and you realize you said that on television and it’s going to be aired, and every single one of them came up to me throughout the next day and offered their support again,” he said. “Absolutely nothing changed onboard and they all continued then and they’re continuing now to offer me the same level of support.”
‘Below Deck Mediterranean’ cast and crew continue to support Lloyd Spencer
Spencer was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support on social media. “After being terrified about how this episode would be received. I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind messages,” he tweeted shortly after the episode aired. He also received support from the Below Deck Mediterranean cast and crew.
“Nothing but love for you my friend!” Mzi “Zee” Dempers replied on a one of Spencer’s Instagram shares. David Pascoe added hearts and Courtney Veale wrote, “Angels.” Flood commented on another post. “I am so proud of you my boy! Love you and your beautiful soul.”
Below Deck Mediterranean executive producer Nadine Rajabi also commented on an Instagram post. “Thank you for your bravery and honesty, Lloyd. You have the purest heart. You’re my #1 goose. Love you to the moon.”
Discrimination in yachting comes in different forms
Spencer is the perfect example of how yachties face prejudice regardless of skin color. Spencer revealed he worked for a captain who treated him like a “piece of sh–t” with regard to his sexual orientation. Dempers told Showbiz Cheat Sheet discrimination in yachting isn’t always about race.
“But I think in the yachting industry, Black individuals are the minority,” he said. “So that’s where it could seem as though it’s generally towards race. But I think discrimination happens all around. Like you’re working with the top 1% so they can do whatever they please. So it may not necessarily be the color of your skin. But where you’re from or ethnicity or anything like that.”
Below Deck Mediterranean airs on Mondays at 9 pm ET/PT. New episodes will be available on Peacock one week early on Mondays.
