Impulse Group South Florida, a community outreach group dedicated to spreading HIV awareness and education, has come under fire for age discrimination at one of its recent social functions. A massive pool party was thrown in Miami meant to spread word about the recently renovated Vagabond Hotel, a local landmark. Entrance into the highly publicized pool party was free to the public under the age of 40, but those 41 and above quickly realize that there would be a $50 cover fee if they wanted to join in the festivities. For a party that was being hashtagged on Instagram and Twitter with #JudgmentIsDirty, many felt as if judgment, and ageism, were in full effect.
“I'm amazed at the invite I just received – free admission up to 40 years of age and $50 over 40,” Ed Stevens, a would-be party goer said to South Florida Gay News. “In addition to whether this is even legal, it's a shocking and blatant attempt to exclude mature people and another instance of how people in our community should know better, given the discrimination and judgements we face in the mainstream world. And I was looking forward to going back to this beautifully restored landmark.”
Since the pool party, disgruntled members of Miami's gay community have taken to Impulse's Facebook page expressing their concerns that the organization is more interested in throwing parties that cater to the young rather than addressing the health needs of the community as a whole.
“The primary strategy is to organically establish a following of socially active, young gay men through engagement at large, organized events, such as Evolution, which occurred in Miami on April 18,” Impulse responded in a press release yesterday. “The purpose of events like Evolution is to create a lively, fun atmosphere where these men can interact while simultaneously being exposed to information about HIV in a non-judgmental environment.”
Tiered pricing for community events like Evolution is common enough, with logic suggesting that younger, less economically established people would benefit from discounted tickets. That being said, it's not hard to see why people interpreted two age-based tiers as somewhat problematic.