Pinched in Provincetown: Busted for pot, `gay lobster' claws back against charges
 

Pinched in Provincetown: Busted for pot, `gay lobster' claws back against charges

by Laurel J. Sweet
Wednesday, October 15, 2003

One man's bent for living la vida loca as a gay lobster has landed him in hot water in Provincetown, where steamed officials contend Mark Ceria is nothing more than a scavenger picking on tourists.


Ceria, 50, a sculptor who calls himself ``Provincetown's first gay lobster,'' said he's been capering as a costumed crustacean since June, posing for snapshots in exchange for money ``to support my art.'' He feels no need to butter up his critics.

``People love me,'' he said yesterday after appearing in Orleans District Court as Mr. Lobster to plead not guilty to pot possession. ``The whole town has opened their arms to me like a superhero.''

Candice Collins-Bowden, executive director of the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce, conceded, ``The tourists find him entertaining and amusing. If he didn't solicit money from them, it probably would be OK.

``He's hard to miss,'' she said in a telephone interview as she gazed out a window. ``He's walking down the pier with his claws in the air, swaying.''

The marijuana allegedly was found on Ceria last month when he was arrested on a warrant out of Gardner District Court charging the former Wendell landlubber with stealing an Enterprise rental car. Ceria freely admits to dabbling in dope and told the Herald he was taking the weed to an ailing AIDS patient when he was pinched while dressed as Mr. Lobster.

Ceria, who's been staying in a $19-per-night hostel, plans to retire his alter ego by Thanksgiving. He vows those who would crack down on him will ``eat their words.

``I love doing this, seriously,'' Ceria said, ``and I've been panned as a common criminal. Well, you cannot destroy beauty in this country.''