Amid coronavirus pandemic, gay New Yorkers slammed for attending ‘Rona Rave’ house party
Adult performer Ian Frost shared more than 50 videos of the party, which even featured a DJ
A gay adult performer has been heavily criticized after posting videos of a house party in New York City attended by a number of gay men, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Adult film star Ian Frost posted a series of videos to his Instagram story showing more than a dozen people in various states of undress attending the house party, which even featured a DJ.
The party, which reportedly took place on Monday, May 4, not only flouted Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s stay-at-home orders, but occurred despite New York City being the epicenter of the United States’ coronavirus outbreak, with an estimated 316,000 cases and 25,000 deaths.
Comedian, writer, and advocate Phillip Henry, who dubbed the event a “rona rave,” shared some of the footage on his Twitter account.
“People are fucking dying left and right and the gays are having full on house parties on a Monday night in NYC. JAIL,” Henry wrote.
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
Frost reportedly posted more than 50 videos from the party, but subsequently deleted his Instagram account after receiving backlash once news spread on Twitter.
According to an Instagram comment from Frost prior to deleting his account, the party was also attended by men working in New York City’s health care system.
Writer Evan Ross Katz shared an alleged exchange with Frost, in which Katz said the party was “blatant disregard for our health care workers and human lives is disgraceful.”
Frost responded: “Couple of those health care workers were here also.”
Katz also messaged adult film star Shane Jackson, who was allegedly at the party. In a screenshot of the exchange, Katz wrote, “Your friends should know better.”
Jackson allegedly responded that everyone at the party had already caught and recovered from the virus, writing, “Why? They’ve all had the virus. Let people live.”
The World Health Organization said last month that there is “currently no evidence” that a person who has contracted COVID-19 and recovered is subsequently immune from reinfection.
In a tweet, New York City Council candidate and drag artist Marti Gould Cummings called the party a “slap in the face to every health care worker, every person who has lost a loved one, every person struggling with finances [because] of [the] shut down.”
From picnics to house parties…..this is a slap in the face to every health care worker, every person who has lost a loved one, every person struggling with finances bc of shut down pic.twitter.com/aIjfWNim8o
— Marti Gould Cummings (@MartiGCummings) May 5, 2020
DJ Alec Brian, who can be seen DJing at the party with his face mask hanging loosely around his neck, posted to his Instagram to “clear things up” regarding the event, which he described as a “small house party.”
“There seems to be a lot of communication surrounding a party I DJ’d Monday night,” he wrote. “Just to clear things up, I was asked to DJ a small house party. I have been taking all precautions to socially distance, wear a mask and hand washing very seriously to stop the spread.
“As many of us are now unemployed, I had an opportunity to avail myself of some needed money to pay my bills,” he wrote. “If I have insulted anyone or made anyone feel uncomfortable by this event, I sincerely apologize as that was certainly not my intent.”
Writer Yashar Ali, who shared more than 10 minutes of footage from Frost’s Instagram story, reported that the party went on from late night to early morning.
1. In the middle of a pandemic, @IanFrostok thought it would be a good idea to post 51 Instagram stories (yes, 51) of a house party he went to last night and early this morning in NYC
So recklesshttps://t.co/AZ8IoKMk73
The DJ, DJ Alec Brian, has deactivated his Instagram pic.twitter.com/ztCeEx9JRW
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 5, 2020
Gov. Cuomo this week noted that it was up to New Yorkers to help slow the spread of the virus in the city, after citing a survey which showed that two-thirds of recently hospitalized patients became infected while following stay-at-home orders.
“Much of of this comes down to what you do to protect yourself,” Cuomo said on Wednesday, NBC News reports.
“Everything is closed down. Government has done everything it could. Society has done everything it could. Now it’s up to you,” Cuomo said.
Read more:
White House’s COVID-19 task force should learn from HIV epidemic, coalition of HIV orgs urge
Georgia trans woman sets herself on fire to protest lack of support during COVID-19
Anti-LGBTQ Trump ally calls gay marriages ‘counterfeit,’ blames them for decline in marriage rates
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