- A gay porn actor posted footage from a house party in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Videos from the party have circulated online since Monday, with many voicing anger and concerns on Twitter.
- "As many of us are now unemployed, I had an opportunity to avail myself of some needed money to pay my bills," the party's DJ said in an Instagram post, adding that he wore a mask and took "hand washing very seriously to stop the spread."
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A porn actor posted Instagram stories of a huge party in New York City on Monday night, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take hold over the Big Apple and large gatherings remain banned.
Videos from the party have circulated online since Monday, with many voicing anger and concerns on Twitter. New-York-based comedian and writer Phillip Henry, who identifies as gay and is active in LGBTQ cultural commentary online, first shared screen recordings from adult entertainer Ian Frost's Instagram stories with a tongue-in-cheek Twitter thread, writing that people are dying and yet "the gays are having full on house parties," and coining the term 'rona rave.'
—Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) May 5, 2020
—Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) May 5, 2020
The party in question produced over 9 minutes of video footage and took place over multiple days.
Over 50 Instagram stories and over 9-minutes of footage was posted from the party, according to the aggregated video posted by Yashar Ali, and loud house music can be heard throughout. Almost no one in the videos are wearing masks and nearly everyone is shirtless and in close contact.
—Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 5, 2020
Marti Gould Cummings, a drag artist and candidate for New York City Council, said in a tweet that the event was a "slap in the face to every health care worker, every person who has lost a loved one, every person struggling with finances" due to the pandemic.
Monday night's party came after a weekend of gorgeous weather in Manhattan, which led to parks throughout the city being overrun with people, many of whom didn't wear masks. Other parts of the country have begun to ease shut-down restrictions as the US enters its third month of facing the deadly virus.
—Marti Gould Cummings (@MartiGCummings) May 5, 2020
PJ McAteer, a co-owner of a commercial real esate development in Fire Island Pines on New York's Fire Island — long considered a gay mecca in the US — said in a statement shared on Instagram and Facebook that he was "disgusted" by the party. The community on Fire Island has notably been urging its season visitors to "Stop, turn around, go back."
Frost, the adult entertainment actor, has deleted the Instagram videos and suspended his social media accounts after the backlash. In an interview with DNA published April 28, Frost said he has been staying inside for his workouts and socializing during the pandemic. "This situation that we are living is showing a completely new face of everyone, including myself," he said in the interview. "Good and bad things come from it. How we deal with them makes the difference."
Frost had also posted a comedic video to his Twitter about is quarantine life.
—Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 5, 2020
On May 6, DNA added an editor's note to the piece in reference to the allegations of his party. "DNA does not endorse breaking physical distancing rules during the coronavirus crisis. Please follow public health guidelines. The virus is easy to pass on, even if you appear to have no symptoms," the addition said.
It was not clear who hosted the party, but its DJ, Alec Leddy, said in an Instagram post that it was meant to be a "small house party."
"As many of us are now unemployed, I had an opportunity to avail myself of some needed money to pay my bills," Leddy said, adding that he wore a mask and took "hand washing very seriously to stop the spread."
The pandemic has been especially hard on artists in hard-hit cities like New York, who typically have restaurant or bar gigs to support incomes from their craft. With record-low unemployment rates and no clear date for a return to normalcy in sight — including Broadway theaters, bars, clubs, and music venues reopening — many people are looking for alternative ways to make money.
In an email to Insider, Leddy said he'd been experiencing cyber bullying because of the videos. "This 'community' I am part of can be so proactive on issues or concerns for the greater good. Sadly, this same 'community' has no problem dragging people down and becoming basically 'cyber bullies' to make someone feel worthless," he said. "Luckily I'm not phased by these opinions because they don't know the whole story nor was it my party to begin with."
The discourse around the event could be dangerous if used as a talking point for anti-gay rhetoric.
Cummings, running in New York's District 7 as a Democrat, told Insider that the party depicted in the videos didn't represent the LGBTQ community at large, saying, "This party is not representative of any one group other than those across the board, of all backgrounds, who are choosing to ignore the advice of our scientific and medical professionals telling us to stay home and social distance."
Cummings noted that portraying the party as such could pose risks for the LGBTQ community.
"This country has time and time again pointed the finger at immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, and brown and black Americans for its problems. This crisis is no different, and once again, we must overcome this prejudice and ignore the hateful rhetoric," Cummings told Insider in an email.
There have already been critical claims since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic that "gay parties" specifically have spread COVID-19. One such viral theory, spread by religious zealots, alleged that footage from a large party of mostly gay men was the "last gay congregation" in Italy before the outbreak. The posts were disproven, as AFP Fact Check reported that the clip came from a 2018 Carnival event in Brazil, but that didn't stop users from sharing it with virulent religious language.
Across the internet and various demographics, people have been called out for seemingly breaking social distancing conventions in large groups, from spring breakers in Florida to Park-goers Brooklyn. There has yet to be an in-depth study of the demographic breakdown of social distancing adherence.
- Read more:
- Religious social media posts shamed the 'last gay' party before the pandemic — but the video in question was actually from years ago
- Celebrities, politicians, and influencers are largely accountable for the spread of false coronavirus information, according to a new study
- TikTok videos show students ignoring university coronavirus quarantines and frolicking outside in large groups
- Many Americans are still taking cruises despite warnings amid the coronavirus spread — even if they have the option to rebook for free
