A gay sex party scheduled to occur this weekend at Washington’s Doubletree Hotel has been canceled after Christian conservatives called in saying the event was a public health risk, specifically citing that employees who would have to clean up after the event would be at risk. How did the event organizers respond?
The Washington Blade has a portion of the email sent by the party’s organizers:
“For two days, the hotel stood firm while the accusations and falsehoods kept coming in,” the e-mail said. “Just this morning, I told the management of Doubletree how impressed I was that they resisted the calls to shut us down. Unfortunately, the matter escalated to Doubletree Corporate and the word has come down that they will not allow our event ot go on as planned. To say that I am pissed would be an understatement. We have a right to privacy and sexual freedom.”
Despite the fact that it was a conservative group that organized the protest, the Blade reports that many gays and lesbians also thought the event was “disgusting.”
GJR
Well, the public health risk is absolute bullshit. We get that
But this is exactly the kind of thing which sets us back as a movement. How wonderful that just as we are trying to have Robinson give a history-making speech does he have to share the headlines with “gay sex orgy”..Not very beneficial to how we are perceived as a community. And I’m so sure all of those folks attending the orgy are community activists fighting against Prop 8, who voiced their anger over Warren. Or maybe not. Probably not.
I’m no prude, an orgy with a bunch of hot men never sounds so bad..but there is a time and a place for everything. This just makes us all look bad as a community.
Wolf
No what makes us look bad is the fact that a Gay Man forwarded the email about the party to the only REAL PIG involved Peter LaBarbera of the “Americans for Truth About Homosexuality” which by the way is a TOTAL WINGNUT GROUP dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda,â€
You know we can’t fight GROUPS like that while there are those of us in the Community are going to be such pridish little pricks. If you think something is disguting fine. YOU don;t have to particpate. And you have no right to judge, And you know what. The Group that was contacted thinks we are ALL disgusting weather we are into Leather or Vanilla.
Whoever the gay man was who sent that email to LaBarrea should be tared and feathered and kicked out of the Gay Community.
There is NOTHING WRONG WITH SEX BETWEEN CONSENTING LEGAL ADULTS. If you don;t like it. Don;t do and don;t bitch publically about it. THATS WHAT SETS US BACK.
mikeandrewsdantescove
I just stayed at the Mandalay Bay this weekend in Las Vegas and all the housekeepers wear gloves when they are cleaning. So the conservatives are wrong on the health risk.
If you want to still have the event hold it elsewhere and support gay businesses instead.
Mike Andrews
http://cdbaby.com/cd/mikeandrews2
Michelle
I used to work for DT Hotels, although not the one in this story. It doesn’t matter that the housekeepers wear gloves when they clean, if there is blood, fecal matter, or vomit, then a special team has to be dispatched to clean it up as it is considered biohazard.
Whatever, at the end of the day, if you wanna eat shit, do it where no one else has to know about it. Gay or staright, it’s sick.
Fisty Fudpucker
How perfectly disgusting. Shit-eating? Seriously? How is that sexy???
ChicagoJimmy
How many gay prostitution rings with client lists that include powerful political figures have been uncovered? Oh wait…those were straight people. Right. Yep, our god fearing straight politicians like to get it on in freaky ways too.
Doesn’t everyone hate hypocrisy?
Trenton
I’m sorry, but…WHAT?
I don’t give a shit what people do behind closed doors as long as there is consent, but renting a room just so you can desecrate it (to say nothing of one’s self) is foul and low-brow. I don’t care if there was to be no sex involved and the plan was just paint the place with manure and chum or any other noxious act. It’s tasteless and irrelevant to the occasion.
Fuck them. Fuck the person who passed it to LaBarbera. And fuck anyone who is going to say “Don’t trample on my rights to indulge in any sort of behavior I like” because that’s not the point of freedom or equality. It’s worthless hedonism, lacking in any respect for the staff. Keep it in your dungeon and I won’t say a peep.
By the way…does Doubletree still give out those awesome cookies?
SecretScoundrel
I’ve been to MAL and most of the events are not sexual in nature. There are seminars, vendors, meetings, etc. Any sexual events were always in private rooms or residences. This particular event should not have been booked in the hotel in the first place. If this group wanted to hold a sex event they should have found a “private” venue.
Wolf
Actually after doing some research Peter LaBarbera of the “Americans for Truth About Homosexuality” is FAMOUS for going “Undercober” to leather Events and signing up for info and mailers so in retrospect I am beginning to HIGHLY DOUBT that a gay man passed it long to him and LaBarbera is probably signed up pn the mailing list for the event and didn;t want to say that.
See these are the scumbags we are fighting. Thats why I DO NOT BELIEVE in fighting back nicely.
Jennifer
For GOD’S sake, people, everybody screws in hotels. EVERYBODY. It’s not the business of priggish little prudes to tell others what they may or may not do in their hotel rooms, their homes, or any other private place.
As far as setting the movement back goes: what could set the movement back more than bowing to people like this, attempting to publicly censure private acts? Isn’t that the essence of the movement. These are my rights, too. As a straight woman, I have experienced all kinds of censure of this kind. In the Middle East, I was watched 24 hours a day for signs of sexual activity. As a single woman in the Middle East, I was expected to pretend I had no sexuality, just to appease a male religious elite. In Italy, I was treated to the same nonsense, to appease the same damned religious elite, only Catholic. Haven’t we all had enough of being told who and where and when we may and may not FUCK?
LET US FUCK in peace, please!
ChicagoJimmy
@Jennifer: Sing it, sister! I’m with you!
shivadog
@Wolf: No, “gay pig sex orgy” is what sets us back. It was terribly ill timed, but sounds pretty sick anytime. This is the kind of shit that turns straight people against us. It reminds me of when some idiot “celebrity” was caught having sex in a park bathroomm and said “I’m gay, this is my culture”. Well I’m gay and it’s not part of my culture. There is a difference between being gay and being a pervert.I realize a lot of straight people don’t see it that way, but shit like “pig sex orgies” make it really difficult for them to see us any other way.
Wolf
@shivadog:
Disagree. SEX is a private matter. AND between consenting adults its LEGAL and NOBODYS Bussiness but the people involved. So okay you are Gay and its not part of YOUR culture. But it is a part of somebodys elses and where you might not agree with it. You should at least deal with it.
Joe
Why the hell are they having a gay sex orgy to begin with? Is that what we really want to be known as? To affirm the conservatives’ idiotic beliefs about us? The organizors of this event ARE pigs.
Wolf
@Joe:
Joe Prude much? Straight people have sex orgies also. Instead of slamming your own community perhaps you should stand for their rights to privacy and freedom to do what consenting adults can do.
Joanne
ugh! for everyone going on about the rights for adults to have a sex party can you at least admit that the timing of the same weekend with inauguration is just stupid? we are fighting for visibility and rights. we have to play by the rules to get there. you guys might not like it, but if we show our critics and Americans who support us that we are about dressing up in leather and having orgies that isn’t going to help us gain equality.
adzomelk
oh bollocks i say bloody buggery bollocks to the puritans amongst us i havnt been an activist all these years only to leave orgies behind wasnt it emma goldman who said if i cant dance i dont want to be part of your revolution well i say if i cant attend the sex party of my choice in our nations capitol during the inauguration then i refuse to supprt homosexuals who want to behave like breeders
hells kitchen guy
oh for heavens sake, there are always these hotel parties whenever there are circuit parties or leather events The only thing that makes this ‘news” is that these rightwing idiots got their hands on it.
i attribute it to the gawker-type influence of everyone thinking he’s a “source” for gossip these days.
Dan
I’m all for people having the right to have orgies of whatever kind they like. But to expect a hotel to host seems kind of odd to me. They should have found a private venue. I would feel the same about a “straight” orgy. At the Doubletree? Really?
GSM
Poor timing, yes. Premature celabration, definitely. This is not your gay messiah.
Stephen
@Fisty Fudpucker: Gross! Who brought up eating poo? Ik!
Stephen
Why not call it a love in? Like the 60’s
Stephen
Or not.
Stephen
@GSM: Yes, I agree. Bad timing.
spgorm
To the Uninitiated.
It would helpful to get as many facts as possible. The hotel gathering occurred during an annual leather gathering known as Mid Atlantic Leather (MAL) which has been held during MLK Jr Weekend for the past twenty three years since1985. In other words, during 7 inaugurations without much ado. Given its roots in baby-boomer sexual liberation sensibilities, MAL has always been unquestionably and unapologetically libertine.
To date, the only controversy that I have ever recalled or witnessed duirng any MAL gatehring happens whenever PETA makes a peaceful, public demonstration calling to question the use of animals skins as a fashion statement. Other than that, there has never been any problem regarding the dates or by people (including republicans) in town for inaugural purposes whenever interacting or encountering MAL participants.
Regardless, your own feelings about the leather community and its recreational activities, this Red Herring is nothing more than a precursor of a systemic approach of using whatever methods possible to halt change and restore the pattern of the last eight years because they know that by using the LGBT community, we are the most effective wedge issue available at their disposal. This Kool Aid is not about us or how we live. We are merely a convenient and useful tool in their cynical effort to keep what power they have and restore what they have just lost. They don’t give a shit about Americans and freedom and all the rhetoric. They are soley about themselves. That is the real issue. To think that all is well, breezy, and easy because Obama and the Democrats control the government is both foolish and naive. This is not over.
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
@Jennifer:
Exactly
Gene Robinson
It was terribly ill timed
MAL was there first. What are they going to do, tell Obama to reschedule?
Big Black Dyke
@spgorm: EXACTLY