Joe.My.God. LGBT News
NBC News reports:
Fourteen members of the same family in Texas tested positive for the coronavirus following a small gathering in June hosted by a man who says he believed the coronavirus was a hoax. One of them has died and another is on life support.
Tony Green, who lives in Dallas and hosted the event, wrote a column titled, “A harsh lesson in the reality of COVID-19,” in which he said he was a former COVID-19 denier. The column was published online July 24 in the “Dallas Voice,” which describes itself as “a media source for LGBT Texas.”
“I admit I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. I admit traveling deep into the conspiracy trap over COVID-19,” Green wrote. “All the defiant behavior of Trump’s more radical and rowdy cult followers, I participated in it. I was a hard-ass that stood up for my ‘God-given rights.'”
Yahoo News reports:
“In great haste, I began prognosticating the alphabet soup about this ‘scamdemic.’ I believed the virus to be a hoax. I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trump’s chances at reelection.”
Green’s belief that the virus was fake prompted him and his partner to host a house party on June 13 for family members.
The next morning, Green woke up sick, and over the following days the virus continued to spread throughout both his and his partner’s families — including his father-in-law’s mother, who died of COVID-19 on July 1. Green himself and his father-in-law were both hospitalized for the virus.
From Green’s column in the Dallas Voice:
You cannot imagine the guilt I feel, knowing that I hosted the gathering that led to so much suffering. You cannot imagine my guilt at having been a denier, carelessly shuffling through this pandemic, making fun of those wearing masks and social distancing.
You cannot imagine my guilt at knowing that my actions convinced both our families it was safe when it wasn’t.
For those who deny the virus exists or who downplay its severity, let me assure you: The coronavirus is very real and extremely contagious. Before you even know you have it, you’ve passed it along to your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors.
Tony Green, who lives in Dallas and hosted the small gathering, says he believed the coronavirus was a hoax.
“I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trump’s chances at re-election.”https://t.co/f6Sg5dja26
— Janelle Fiona Griffith (@janellefiona) July 28, 2020