Lucas Grindley reports at the Advocate: The hotel that had become a symbol of support for Ted Cruz’s antigay policies is now closing. The Out Hotel in New York City faced a heated boycott last year after its gay owners held a fundraising dinner party at their home for the Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful. Ian Reisner and his …
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And you thought that story was dead by now. Via The Hill: GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee joined the growing number of Republicans criticizing rival Ted Cruz by attacking him for meeting with gay businessmen despite being a staunch opponent of gay marriage. Huckabee on Wednesday tweeted a link to a New York Times article about the meeting, saying “I’ll …
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Edge Media reports: The drama in Fire Island Pines now officially spans two continents. The Ascension Party, a staple of the circuit scene for nine years, is packing up and leaving Fire Island Pines and traveling to Mykonos this August, citing the recent boycott against OUTpost Fire Island Pines properties as the impetus for the move. The announcement marks the …
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The New York Post reports that beleaguered Manhattan hotelier Mati Weiderpass was tossed out of the Fire Island Pines nightclub Sip-N-Twirl on Sunday after being confronted by patrons furious about his meeting with Sen. Ted Cruz. Customer Evan Lobel said, “One guy got up and asked him what the rationale was to have dinner with Cruz. They got kind of …
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Via press release from Queer Nation: A plane trailing a banner reading “Boycott Hi/Lo Tea! Fight For Full LGBT Rights!” will fly above the beach at Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines on Sunday, June 7, between 2 pm and 3 pm. The action will underscore the LGBT community’s outrage over the April 20 meeting between Republican presidential candidate Senator …
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The Advocate reports: Out NYC Hotel owners Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, still doing damage control after their ill-fated dinner with antigay presidential candidate Ted Cruz, recently received more bad news — four former and current employees at the KTCHN restaurant and XL Nightclub, located within the Out NYC, are suing the establishment. The suit, alleging discrimination and withheld pay, …
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Via the New York Times: When the gay hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass found themselves under siege for hosting a dinner for Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who is running for president and has been vociferously opposed to same-sex marriage, they repeatedly stressed that the event was not a fund-raiser. “There were no checks given, it was nothing like …
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“I’m the only gay man I know who has never been to Fire Island. I have not made a point of staying away — its charms are legendary, of course — but the occasion has simply never presented itself. Now, it’s quite likely that I will remain forever virginal in that regard. Or at least until these guys are no …
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Per the president of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association, the below apology from Manhattan hotelier Ian Reisner was read at the group’s meeting over the weekend. Dear Members of our Community, First I want to clear up that Mati Weiderpass has zero involvement or ownership in the Pines. Now let me state unequivocally that I made mistakes. While …
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“Since hosting a discussion with Texas Senator Ted Cruz in my home, I have been inundated with hateful, biased social media messages, and attacks from gay extremists (do I dare say the word?) who demand inclusion, but do not believe in dialogue. I know in my heart that these attacks do not represent the rich culture and diversity of the …
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Longtime Manhattan nightlife promoter John Blair took to Facebook this weekend to react to beleaguered hotelier Ian Reisner’s declaration that his club is losing money because gays are cheap. Gays, like any group, will spend their money when you give them something that they want or need. Do not blame the community for any of your failures to make money. …
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Posted yesterday to the Facebook page for the boycott of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass: STATEMENT – LGBT CAUCUS – NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL “Owning businesses that cater to the LGBT community comes with a heightened level of responsibility. For the proprietors of the OUTnyc and Fire Island Pines, hosting anti-LGBT politicians like Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson …
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“You know, it’s so ironic — I wanted to build kind of a community center in the gateway to Hell’s Kitchen, which in 2008–2009 was already a gay place and now it’s even gayer. Very close to Broadway. We decided there’d be so many different ways to give back to the community. We show gay artists there. For gay performers, …
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“I know there are Republican members of the LGBT community. And there are Republican legislators who support equality, albeit not many. Fine, go ahead and throw them a fundraiser they will remember for a long time. But let’s not support those who believe we’ll burn in hell because of who we are and who we love. Does a candidate for …
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(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Happening NOW! #BoycottFIPOut Posted by Boycott Fire Island Pines Establishments & Out NYC Hotel on Monday, 27 April 2015 Photos by Matt Rettenmund at Boy Culture.
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Despite yesterday’s apologies by Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, activists are going forward with tonight’s protest at their midtown hotel. The call to protest was endorsed by the city’s LGBT Democratic clubs –– Brooklyn’s Lambda Independent Democrats, the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City …
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Similar headlines can be found across Teabagistan.
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“I am happy to see such passion and energy in support of gay rights. We just need to channel that passion and energy to those who would deny us those rights. The dinner with Ted Cruz happened only because IT WAS NOT A FUNDRAISER. It was about security for Israel, but it also gave me a rare opportunity to address …
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