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Man Dies at Gay Nightclub, Prompting Outrage at Packed Atlanta Pride Parties Amid COVID Pandemic

October 12, 2020 by Towleroad Leave a Comment

Stills of a video shot at a party in Atlanta on Friday night.

Social media lit up with outrage over the weekend after a man died from a reported drug overdose and videos circulated of crowded gay nightclubs for Atlanta Pride weekend amid the ongoing COVID pandemic. The official Atlanta Pride organization distanced itself from the privately held circuit parties, making it clear that all their events were virtual.

Hi APC family. We'd like to make clear that ALL our events during Atlanta Pride are virtual. We've seen videos of large parties; those are not official Atlanta Pride events. Stay home and safe! pic.twitter.com/VU9hcdgcuh

— Atlanta Pride (@atlantapride) October 10, 2020

Atlanta police said a man lost consciousness at BJ Roosters nightclub early Sunday morning and was pronounced dead 40 minutes later after EMTs attempted to revive him.

“The victim’s partner said he had taken ecstasy pills at the club during an event,” 11Alive reported. “Police said they found no signs of foul play or trauma during their investigation. Further details are still limited as the investigation continues. A spokesperson said that what they know at this time is preliminary and could change as the investigation progresses and new information comes to light.”

Towleroad received an anonymous eyewitness account from the event, from a man who said he was standing near the partier who lost consciousness. The witness said the victim was a 40-50 year old black man, who remained unresponsive as onlookers did CPR for more than 10 minutes until paramedics arrived. The witness said the XION party, thrown by Keith Allen YOUNG’S GA BOY EVENTS, was oversold, packed, and not air conditioned.

Said the witness: “I’m not sure of the outcome, it didn’t look good. Party was at XION, Promotor was GA Boy Events. The group was sitting next to me on a set of couches, one of them crashed quickly. The venue was packed, to overcapacity at times. There were no protocols in place, clearly no EMTs on site, and staff there seemed unprepared to handle anything of the sort. It was a minimum of 30 minutes before an ambulance arrived, and Im being generous. It was tragic. I’ve been to parties all over the world, I have never been to one without EMTs In my opinion this could have been avoided.”

A video circulating on Twitter with nearly 1 million views shows a similar party that happened the previous night.

Andy Herren, the first gay man to win Big Brother in Season 15 of the CBS reality show, posted video from the Friday night party, tweeting: “Taken last night at Atlanta Pride. And publicly posted to Instagram. In the middle of a pandemic. People can be so shitty and selfish. Please don’t be like these people. This is appallingly gross.”

Tyler Oakley shared Herren’s video, adding: “atlanta pride last night… what are y’all UP TO… i get that people miss how carefree we used to be able to be… i do too!! but the pandemic isn’t over just because you’re over it”

Taken last night at Atlanta Pride. And publicly posted to Instagram. In the middle of a pandemic. People can be so shitty and selfish. Please don’t be like these people. This is appallingly gross. pic.twitter.com/SDafZ0HXfC

— Andy Herren (@AndyHerren) October 10, 2020

atlanta pride last night… what are y’all UP TO… i get that people miss how carefree we used to be able to be… i do too!! but the pandemic isn’t over just because you’re over it pic.twitter.com/ySPmNIgHmA

— tyler oakley (@tyleroakley) October 10, 2020

This is why we have been busting our ass to do Drive-In shows. This is why we won’t support the new Future Atlanta club downtown — these are the same owners/promoters. We aren’t going to be quiet on this.

— Wussy Mag (@wussymag) October 11, 2020

RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Detox, who was working another party at District Atlanta on Saturday night, defended her participation in a Twitter thread:

mask off, that’s on you. However, while roaming the bar, ordering drinks, using the restrooms, or tipping your entertainers/asking us for pics, please be considerate & kindly put that mask on for a just a moment! It’s greatly appreciated! If approached too quickly without a mask,

— Detox… (@TheOnlyDetox) October 11, 2020

I am sick of feeling the need to defend myself because of the actions of others. I have been unemployed for 7 months, as many of us have, & have a lot of bills & have had ZERO government assistance. I would rather not be putting myself at risk in order to survive…

— Detox… (@TheOnlyDetox) October 10, 2020

ABSOLUTELY! Especially with my asthma?! OF COURSE! I do not have that luxury. What I do have is awareness and mindfulness of my own actions and behavior. How bout that.

— Detox… (@TheOnlyDetox) October 10, 2020

yes, it is largely Tr*mp’s fault we haven’t gotten things under control and been able to go back to mostly normal like some other countries have with live events, but this is not helping at all… maybe find some extra work on the side like the rest of us have to?

— Josh (@pizzashua) October 11, 2020

none of us want to be finding extra work on the side to make more money in the meantime but it’s a pandemic luv, grow the fuck up and take responsibility for yourself instead of whining and being an accessory to the problem…

— Josh (@pizzashua) October 11, 2020

Filed Under: Covid-19, Featured, towleroad Tagged With: Andy Herren, Atlanta, coronavirus, Covid-19, Gay Pride, Georgia, LGBT Pride, Tyler Oakley

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