An Instagram account called @GaysOverCovid has been publicly exposing gay men who have been openly defying the advice of public health officials during the pandemic.
The account, which first appeared last summer, ramped up its efforts over the holidays, posting photos from superspreader Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve circuit events, and memes from that gay cruise that just sunk off the coast of Mexico.
Now, LGBTQ activist and filmmaker Leo Herrera has posted an open letter to the #GaysOverCovid crowd and it’s going absolutely viral.
“Dear Gays Partying in Mexico,” his letter begins. “I want you to know we aren’t dragging you or cackling at that sinking party boat because we’re jealous (OK, maybe just a little).”
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Herrera goes on to list all the reasons why so many people find their behavior problematic. And he doesn’t hold back either.
“It’s not just the colonizer vibes of locals selling their health with a smile for your margarita,” he writes. “These giggles are because we understand all too well why you’re on that boat to begin with.”
He then charges the #GaysOverCovid crowd with indulging in some of the “dark impulses” many LGBTQ people have fought against for decades, including drug abuse, racism, and transphobia.
“You clacking that obnoxious fan at a circuit party during a pandemic is systemic homophobia at work,” Herrera explains, “the failure of our schools for not teaching you AIDS history.”
“It’s a confirmation that our worship of the sun-kissed Adonis, that flesh-industrial complex of parties and porn has always hidden a culture of nihilism and death.”
Herrera closes his letter by saying #GaysOverCovid “embody the most tedious, vapid and scary parts of us, forcing us to use shame as a weapon and knowing we’ll need to unpack yours for years.”
“Thanks for giving us homework when we have so much else on our plate,” he concludes. “Don’t get me wrong, we also laughed at you because you look like a f*cking clowns.”
Since sharing the letter on Instagram on Saturday, Herrera’s post has received over 8,000 likes and almost 500 comments. It’s also being widely shared on Twitter.
Read the full letter below.
moretruth
Lost me at colonizer, gentrification…..
darwinbell
Well then, possibly you are part of the problem. Listen when POC are telling you what is wrong
LumpyPillows
Me too…give a leftist an inch and they will find a way to lose the battle with overreaching whining. Also, I listen to POC, but I reject it when they are wrong.
cgrapids
“I listen to POC, but I reject it when they are wrong.” I reject your leftist sentiment, and I second the quoted part. Rightists are far worse, please see what is going on in our capitol if you need an example. The “Listen to POC” verbiage is used to tell people to be quiet and acquiesce when they believe a position to be wrong. Listen, yes. Disagree if I don’t agree: YES. You won’t always get my agreement. The language of “power” in our conversations and race are becoming dominant to the point where our positions are taking a secondary role to the skin color of the person taking them.
Donston
Honestly, the letter is pretentious and condescending and barely has anything to do with the topic. I also get a vibe of superiority and slight internalized homophobia. There are many who are ignoring the rules and suggestions, not just “gays”. If you want to spark a conversation about what you feel is an over prioritizing of sex, drugs and partying, if you want to talk about “queer” mental health issues or self-destructive instincts- then have that conversation. Don’t try to use Covid to push your agenda. Because most of the parties that’s been had over the past year aren’t “gay” ones.
JPDonahue
Hit a nerve?
Godabed
Yes but those communities call those people out, as they should. So Gays should be calling their community out when they are doing the wrong things. And furthermore, a lot of those people who get caught at these circuit parties that I have seen have been in the medical field. That’s extra dangerous, I’m not sure if you remember the Winter party in Florida that was a super spreader event at the beginning of the pandemic so many of those people had covid and literally spread it across the world, the Doctor from Canada was one of the first reported positives and there were many more.
Additionally this person is from Mexico, a lot of these people are leaving a quarantined location like California which has very high numbers in infections and 0 ICU beds, to go party in another country which is currently getting a raise in covid cases because of stupid people like these who don’t care who they effect coming to THEIR neighborhoods. Stay home and in your own country. The level of selfishness is epic.
It seems like you are trying to deflect the issue, because this article is not about other communities it doesn’t even mention them, it’s about problematic gays exposing themselves in majority of these cases and people reacting to them which highlights issues within our own culture.
Donston
I haven’t been to a gathering of more six people for over half of a year. Even beyond that, “circuit parties” were never my thing. I’ve barely gone to “gay club” a few times in my life. Never been into “parties drugs”. I wear a mask everywhere I go.
This ain’t about who’s being irresponsible and yadda, yadda, because that goes without saying. The point is that the post is pretty much suggesting that almost all these parties around the world are “gay” parties, as if tons of people in every demo aren’t out here breaking guidelines or health suggestions. It also feels like he’s trying to morph multiple conversations. Don’t try to use a party to disguise a rant you’ve likely being wanting to get out for a while. Call people out for being irresponsible and selfish. But the days of being shocked by it have come and gone. Furthermore, there’s something distasteful about a social media account targeting “queers” in specific and looking to only expose them. What they’re doing feels more like self-righteous people looking for clout than trying to preach responsibility. And it’s maybe homophobic.
LumpyPillows
@Dotson Agreed. I was on board (pun intended) with the real issue until they turned this into another soap box litany of every possible slight. This is how we still lose elections.
ShiningSex
THERE ARE A LOT OF DUMB GAYS DOING THIS CRAP EVERYWHERE. WE SAW THEM AND SAW HOW SOME DIED DUE TO THEIR STUPIDITY TOO.
s
Yep.
menuga
Bless Your Heart,
Haven’t had any lately have you?
If there’s no toy stores near you, you can order online, or even late night tv (since you’re At home, watching alone anyway! way.
A good investment, it’ll at least help your attitude and whining, unless you’re just a catty, bitter queen anyway.
I think they probably know gays aren’t the only ones, but…since it’s on “Queerty”, (NOT “Straighty”) they probably figured MOST people could figure that out anyway.
But, I think we can detect SEVERAL notes if (false) superiority, intentional homophobia ? and bemused condescension.
Cam
I see people complaining about the letter, but not about the fact that a bunch of people, including healthcare workers, were packed together maskless during a pandemic.
s
Because the letter veered off-topic into a self-important rant.
menuga
Pssssst! Shhhh…..don’t tell anyone, but I think that was WELL implied and versed in the letter. The replies are in response to it.
But it’ll be our little secret! ?
Godabed
There was no lie detected at all. 100% Facts.
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
As Karl Marx said over one hundred seventy years ago a capitalist will sell you the very rope that he knows will be used to hang him with. It is their prerogative to spend their money as they wish and as long as they are willing to part with it the show will go on. The hosts of these parties are after money and nothing else. They could care less about a bunch of Muscle Mary’s in bikini swim trunks frolicking around the edges of a boat as long as all of them paid to get on it.
I do wish there had been more printed on the cause of why the boat sank. Many gay men are blinded by the thought of “fun” being on a boat loaded with other gay men without having a clue about boating safety. I’m going to give a perfect example of how easy it is to capsize a boat the size of the one that sank. Lets say for instance a hot couple on another boat does something sexual or look so hot where one queen on the boat yells out to the other girls “Lord, you girls just HAVE to see this” and everyone runs to that side of the boat. The waves aren’t violent but they are strong and that sudden shift in weight WILL cause that boat to capsize.
ShiningSex
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! IF YOUR BOAT IS SINKING, TOO BAD. BYE!!!
YOU’LL BE ABLE TO TELL THE LORD IN PERSON HOW DUMB YOU WERE.
amanwithanedge
log cabin cruise. buh bye.
cgrapids
Notice how their pics are nearly always monochrome white people, with nearly exactly the same age and body type. I don’t think there is anything wrong with people being around others who have shared interests, but if you look at their instagrams and twitter feeds you often see a compulsive need to prove how hot they are by those they associate with. Anyone with a brain knows these people are extremely insecure, and shallow. I dated a psychiatrist once, and he said the most lonely and sad people were the ones who looked like these circuit queens. Their ending is not a good one, they almost always get too much sun, too much drugs, and their skin gets leathery and wrinkley and their muscles sag into fat/droop. They often chase plastic surgery to fight all aging and end up looking like an alien.
barryaksarben
I agree with a lot of this letter however It is not just gay people doing this. we are like every other group out there. Healthy entitled people come in all flavors so a general alarm is needed but these guys were in the wrong
CBHaynes
These guys are literally the definition and cause of the gay stereotype. Tat said, I fear we are also dealing with IQ issues here.
yaletownman
We LGBTQ’s are juske even. We have those among us that are intelligent, thoughtful, altruistic, etc. we have those that are adolescent, selfish, indulge in addict type behaviors and those that aren’t too bright.
I’ve seen both. I have LGBTQ friends that are amazing and among the pandemic, their lives and the lives of others very seriously. While I don’t personally know any that aren’t taking it seriously I know there are by things like this.
I think many here want to make this letter into some sort of indictment of the LGBTQ community as a whole. I think this letter is focusing on a part of the community but the part of t community that subscribes to behavior like this is so self centered that they believe the letter is geared toward the entire community.
Mike Hunt
Horny boys …. thinking with the wrong head.
Doug
My understanding is that Mexico’s hospitals are currently overridden with covid patients. Why is the government allowing all these parties to take place?
cgrapids
They’re not white or American, so these guys really couldn’t care less. I mean, they’ll have sex with them on vacation, but they’re on their own after that. Oh well. They care about their need to have fun and party and have sex. The lives of some random Mexicans do not matter one bit to them, clearly.
RandomGuy
It’s that evil circuit party promoter Jeff Sanker(?) the part of Mexico that was the original site of the party was going to up restrictions so the snake had the party moved to an area with fewer restrictions and then told the guests to keep it a secret and to not take photos or videos at the party of course that didn’t happen and he got found out.