The DJ at last week’s infamous “Rona Rave” in New York City, where around 30 party goers attended a gay house party despite the city being in lockdown, has posted a Facebook video in which he admits he made a “stupid decision” in attending.
DJ Alec Brian begins the video by thanking frontline workers for the job they’re doing in fighting the virus, before explaining his attendance at the gathering. He says he was asked at 9pm Monday last week to DJ at the event.
“Like the rest of America, we’re all struggling for money … I, in the spur of the moment, made a stupid decision and agreed to DJ this party.”
Related: A group of gay men threw a days-long “rona rave” in NYC. Some of them are healthcare workers.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Brian says he showed up, worked for a couple of hours, and then returned home. He says that before the party, he’d been the biggest advocate of following the COVID-19 guidelines, wearing gloves and a mask when he leaves his apartment.
However, “I made an irrational decision because I didn’t weigh up and pros and cons … and I needed the money and I could use the money. Also, music is kind of my release. It’s what makes me happy. It’s what makes me feel good. So the thought of being able to do that to a room of people and also making them happy … it made sense in my head at that moment. But again, it wasn’t the right decision or the right timing.”
He goes on to say that there have been “parties like this going on for weeks now: ‘Underground kikis’, and I have been purposefully avoiding them.”
The DJ suggests people do not judge him solely on this one act: “I don’t think one wrong decision should determine my future, determine what kind of person I am or my character.”
He thanks friends who have reached out to him to check on how he’s doing and tells those who have harassed him online to try and learn the full story and not believe everything they read on social media. In particular, he shoots down one claim he read that he received a blow-job at the event.
He goes on to repeat that he did not organize the party, that he was paid to be there, and that he’s now used the money he made to buy masks. When they arrive, he will donate them to those in need.
He asks people to take “some time to reflect, and learn and educate,” without impulsively “tearing people down” for making one mistake.
He finishes by saying he hopes to see people on the dancefloor after the pandemic is over, but “If I don’t get booked any more … that was my fault, I did it to myself. But I know, deep down, that I am a good person.
Last week’s event was first picked up by Twitter user and LGBTQ advocate Phillip Henry. He posted videos taken from the Instagram Stories of adult entertainer Ian Frost. Henry said, “People are fucking dying left and right and the gays are having full on house parties on a Monday night in NYC. JAIL.”
People are fucking dying left and right and the gays are having full on house parties on a Monday night in NYC. JAIL pic.twitter.com/6f8Q2YzAJf
— Phillip Henry (@MajorPhilebrity) May 5, 2020
As the tweet went viral, Frost and others tagged in the videos swiftly deleted their social media accounts or locked them to private. Frost has not commented on the videos.
Related: “Rona Rave” attendee’s non-apology decries “cancel culture” & says gays like to tear others down
Alec Brian is not the only attendee to issue a video response to the controversy. Last Wednesday, Chris Weaver, who works as drag queen Nedra Belle, confirmed he’d attended the party. He criticized those, particularly those in the LGBTQ community, of being quick to judge.
“The videos were released, and I was in the video, and now of course … they’re dragging us on social media — and there’s this call for some of us who were involved to be cancelled,” said Weaver said.
“What I will say is that I know some folks have removed themselves from social media and stuff like that. I’m not doing that. I’m a human. I make mistakes just like you make mistakes.
“Was it dumb? Yes, it was. If I could do it all over again, would I have attended the event? I would have not.”
“Let me tell you something about the gay community, the LGBTQ+ community,” he went on to say.
“What we do is we are so good at building each other up but we’re even better at tearing each other down, and the problem with that is we can drag and drag and drag folks all day and all night but there is never a chance, where is the chance for redemption? Where is the chance for somebody to make up for their mistakes or get it right?”
The videos have prompted a mixed reaction online. Some agree that we shouldn’t be quick to ‘cancel’ others. Many others remain scathing that anyone thought it a wise idea to attend a house party during a pandemic that has cost thousands of lives. It’s led to at least one parody video.
man apologizes for breaking quarantine for a house party pic.twitter.com/mspvQSRMC1
— chase (@cfree94) May 11, 2020
Cam
The line of telling people not to be quick to judge, is used when there are other facts that aren’t known. The people here saying not to be quick to judge, are instead asking for people not to judge at all. Because there aren’t any other facts. They broke quarantine for a party. That’s pretty much it. I hope none of them end up infecting a loved one or vulnerable friend.
Donston
It’s not up to me to decide whether they’re being sincere or not. And I don’t particularly care. They probably didn’t expect to be exposed on social media. But you had those faags obsessed with attention, with being “subversive” and with social media validation who put everyone out there.
Black Pegasus
It was his body and his decision. He has nothing to apologize for. The Rage Lords on social media should STFU with their faux outrage and moral grandstanding.
Cam
What a shock, the same account that defends bigotry also defends somebody breaking the law to endanger other people.
At least you’re consistent.
Black Pegasus
@Cam
What a shock! The same chihuahua that barks and growls at every visitor to this site is here barking and growling yet again 🙂
Cam
@Black Pegasus
Translation: You can’t argue my point, that you, the same account that defends bigotry also defends somebody breaking the law to endanger other people.”
So you tried to lash out and name call to deflect from the fact that your trolling was easily exposed.
Tempus
I “try” not to judge people based on assumptions even though I admittedly have been guilty of it in the past and I can see this DJ Alec Brian’s point about income. I mean people are struggling in some situations to put food on the table and/or pay their bills so I could sorta cut him some slack. Still…even though mask and gloves aren’t fool proof you’d think if he realized how risky his actions were that’d he’d have worn them while he was working as it’s not as if it should have impaired him too much. Overall him i can cut some slack but people like Chris Weaver will get no sympathy from me. Their statement makes it sound like they wouldn’t repeat their actions because of how people reacted not because they’ve realized how stupid & irresponsible it was. The DJ’s statement is similar in the fact I have no idea if he’s sorry he went or sorry he got caught yet due to his income being non-existent at the moment once again I can give him more slack than people who just went to party. I agree that the LGBT+ community is very talented at tearing people down and is often vicious…yet sometimes it’s deserved. I’m going stir crazy just like everyone else but please use some common sense.
SeaNMtnsJon
Was I furious when I initially read the story? YEP!! Do I think those folks wouldn’t be apologizing unless they were caught? Yes. Do I think their lives should be ruined for the next Serrels months because of this? No. I rarely comment on stories but wanted to comment on this one. I am so concerned about this virus and I am doing everything we are supposed to do. I’ve been going nuts when I hear a small majority of people who are not. But what I want to remind us in the LBGTQ community – forgiveness is key. If they keep doing it that’s one thing and I trust NY media and others will let us know but beyond that – I think we as a community need to get better at forgiveness (not being walked all over of taken advantage of) but just basic forgiveness. Yes, this is a global crisis and the stakes see higher but these are kids probably in their 20s just making dumb decisions like we all have. Anyone else older there — it’s a little harder to forgive but let’s try. I don’t believe in dragging people on the internet and don’t understand why so many of you love hiding behind your computers and doing it. Calling them out in the first place is one thing but continuing and dirtying hate their way is another. Just be frigggen kind people, forgive and – if they do it again and again after this that’s when their character needs to be called into question. Until then, they are humans who made some serious mistakes.
Be well everyone and stay safe
pym_sd
But can we forgive to people that didn’t apologize ? any apologies that goes with i did something not good with bad timing BUT is a non apology to me.
apologize for what you did. own up to it. understand people are angry at you and promise to do better … don’t go on attacking people ..
Chrisk
Gag me. Although I did like Chases video. Lol
Toofie
LOL, the Chase “apology” was hilarious.
jackmister
I see dead people.
BoylesqueBubble
Is he nodding out in G or something? DJ sounds like he hasn’t come down from whatever he was on, or he really is as stupid as he sounds.
Toofie
He did a foolish thing and got trashed on the internet. He’s just prolonging this with his silly apology. The internet will move on if it hasn’t already.
Bob LaBlah
I’ve laughed for nearly two days since seeing pics of this DJ. I can almost swear I have seen him in a Pornhub.com video where guys PNP, post it proudly don’t give a damn who sees it until they realize the possibility of the wrong someone doing just that. In this case I’ll bet he has another job and is worried to death that his boss and coworkers now know just what he is and why he can never show up for work on Mondays. lol Dude, did you take a look in the mirror at how you look before you posted this? I felt it was a PNP party and you just confirmed that thought. Wow! Unbelievable.
djmcgamester
Honestly don’t care. It’s their risk to take. If no one is infected then no one gets infected. Sure, it could go the other way, but life is a risk. I’m an essential worker so I don’t much care what opinion anyone has of others being out. I’m out there five days a week and deal with hundreds of others. I’m pretty much less than two feet from everyone I encounter. I get that NYC has the highest infection rates in the US but we all have to make our own choices in life.
Brian
I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve been working 45 to 50 hours a week since this all started, social distancing is impossible where I work. We had one guy test positive over a month ago, he was off a few weeks, is back and he’s fine. Nobody else out of almost 250 employees has tested positive.
I think a lot of people have a very different idea of what’s happening in the country than what is actually happening. I see way more businesses that are open than closed and tons of people out and about every day. There is ample, ample opportunity for the virus to spread, yet it’s still not spreading anywhere at the rate we were led to believe it would at the beginning of all of this. It’s just simply not that bad.
If we really want to save lives, we should just get rid of cars. That would save 1.25 million lives a year worldwide. Yet somehow, people easily understand that we accept that as a cost of the benefit they provide to society. I still don’t understand why we haven’t gotten to that understanding with this virus, and instead would rather destroy the lives of tens of millions of people to save thousands. Thousands that we really don’t even know if we’re saving anyway, as the recent revelation from NY showed that 2/3 of hospitalizations were people who were sheltering in place.
People need to be able to live their lives again. It’s not going to cause mass death and disease, we likely will barely even notice a difference.
pym_sd
@Brian
So let me explain you something 1.25M death by car accident and 1.4B cars in the world death rate is 0.089%
coronavirus in under 6mo with mitigation 292K defat for 4.26millions death rate is 6.87%
DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH MORE DANGEROUS THIS VIRUS IS ??? you cannot compare raw number… it s the same thing that Trump was saying about the flu in the beginning. IT S IDIOTIC !!!!
without mitigations just in the USA 2MILLIONS people would have die … How can you say we do that to save thousands of people .. it is to save MILLIONS OF PEOPLE !!!! please go educate yourself and learn how to do statistics !!
AND YES WITHOUT MITIGATION YOU WILL SEE MASS DEATH !!!!
Cam
@Brian
Except none of that is true. Cases are spiking in Rural areas, and I’m sorry, but if ONE guy had it in your workplace, you don’t know if others got it unless you tested everybody.
But glad to know you think 82 thousand dead people don’t really exist.
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
In the month of April twelve million Americans could not pay their rent on the 1st. On May 1st that number went up to fifteen million. Landlords may not serve evictions notices at this time and even if they wanted to the courts are closed. Sooner or later those restrictions are going to be lifted and all out hell is going to break loose when they demand back rent which they are entitled to do because that is a business set up for profit. Millions of hard working Americans put in the street because they dont make enough money or social change where all back rents are covered by a government that is clearly broke but still printing money as though it weren’t?
State governments have offered an addition six hundred dollars per week but now that the numbers are adding up and the taxes to support that are no longer coming in what happens in the next fiscal quarter? If a government had to step in and offer additional money because it was clear what the weekly unemployment payment was did not add up to a living wage then that means we have a workforce that can’t sustain itself off of one job nor survive until they found another one off of unemployment benefits. Your utilities can’t be turned off and the major phone companies have offered assistance in deferring bills but how much longer can that last? You can not function without the internet or a phone and now we have a populace that can’t pay its bills? Social change is on its way big time.
Once things go back to normal the insurance industry is going to demand higher premiums because of the losses it and hospitals took to cover the sick and uninsured. No matter how the numbers are jiggled NYC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit and just about the entire country is bankrupt and they know it. Three quarters of those who can’t pay rent are located in those cities. Add that to a populace with no savings or what little they had will very soon be exhausted and you have the perfect recipe for a new socialist state whether we like it or nor. If any of you see anything different please advise me on how we are going to get out of it without social change.
SoloMcDaniel
Dude. Just admit you’re a younger, decent looking gay guy and you wanted to go hang out with similar gays, do some drugs and dance around. The whole “don’t be quick to judge” and “used the money to buy masks” makes you look even worse.
Also, he proclaims that he took the DJ gig because he needed money to simply live but than says he took that money and bought masks. Sooooo……..yeah
A Nickname (required)
Conclusion: Alec Brian knows how to issue an apology, Chris Weaver does not.
Me2
It’s selfishness like this that will only prolong the process of everyone else getting back to normal. Not to mention the many people who literally have no option but to suffer in quarantine while their family members and friends die alone in hospitals. This party was definitely insensitive to current times.
ScottOnEarth
People do stupid things everyday and are usually only sorry when they’re caught. The only upside of this is that hilarious video-tweet by Chase. Seriously funny!
Paulie P
The look at me, pay attention to me, is anyone watching me video by “Chase” was so classless that his attempt at humor fell as flat as anything you can think of. In the words of Jimmy Fallon, Really?
Come on.
And Chris Weaver live.. you are human we make mistakes? You didn’t;t make a mistake you put live sat risk even your own. No need for the pitty video and yes we can tell you. Yes you did go out with that intent. You attended a group event when told not to. YOU ARE AT FAULT IDIOT.