Open letter to ‘gays over Covid’ on board sinking party boat in Mexico goes viral
"You look like a f*cking clowns."
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Twitter
An open letter to revellers on board a gay party boat that sank on New Year’s Eve has prompted much conversation online.
Footage filmed off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico showed some 60 people floating in the sea and being rescued after the incident.
Nobody was harmed, according to reports.
Titanic part 2: PV edition pic.twitter.com/eQ4HJNoesV
— All about the Benjamins (@fitnessgayz) January 1, 2021
As well as the stinging commentary on the @GaysOverCovid Instagram account, the passionate diatribe on local LGBTQ activist Leo Herrera’s own Instagram account also makes for essential reading.
“You embody the most tedious, vapid and scary parts of us.”
The letter in full:
“Dear Gays Partying in Mexico,
I want you to know we aren’t dragging you or cackling at that sinking party boat because we’re jealous (OK, maybe just a little). It’s not just the colonizer vibes of locals selling their health with a smile for your margarita. These giggles are because we understand all too well why you’re on that boat to begin with.
View this post on Instagram
“The dark impulses our community suffers so much to control: the pursuit of pleasure at the expense of spirit, of meth binges and steroid heart attacks, of clubs asking for two forms of ID to Black folx, of casual, deadly transphobia, of gentrification.
“You clacking that obnoxious fan at a circuit party during a pandemic is systemic homophobia at work, the failure of our schools for not teaching you AIDS history. It’s a confirmation that our worship of the sun-kissed Adonis, that flesh-industrial complex of parties and porn has always hidden a culture of nihilism and death.
“These are nervous giggles because you embody the most tedious, vapid and scary parts of us, forcing us to use shame as a weapon and knowing we’ll need to unpack yours for years. Thanks for giving us homework when we have so much else on our plate. Don’t get me wrong, we also laughed at you because you look like a f*cking clowns.
“Sincerely, The Other Gays.”
The post has 10k likes and counting, and over 600 comments overwhelmingly in support of Herrera.
Elaborating on the post to Attitude, Herrera said: “I create posts for what Harvey Milk called ‘fabulous emotions.’ The emotion here was rage. My other pieces that deal with grief, empathy, activism and history – it’s not all coming from anger.
“The folks who misunderstood the piece took it the most literal, it was about systemic problems not just about circuit parties.”
According to the PV Delice Party Cruise website, the New Year’s Eve cruise featured open bars, go-go boys and a stop at a clothing optional beach. Tickets were priced at between $120-150 (£88.17-110.21).
Local coronavirus rules indicate people are not to hold gatherings of more than eight people, and that bars must close by 7pm.
Americans have reportedly been flocking to Mexico in recent months for holidays or long-term stays, causing coronavirus cases to surge.
As of Monday 4 January 2021, there have been at least 1,448,7000 cases of coronavirus in the country, with at least 127,213 having died.
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