Chris Donohoe was kicked out of a Las Vegas pool party for his choice of swimwear. | Photo: Chris Donohoe / Facebook
A Las Vegas pool party kicked out a gay man for his choice of swimwear on Sunday (5 August).
Chris Donohoe took to Facebook on Monday (6 August) to post a video about the incident at the Encore Beach Club.
He wrote in the caption of the video: ‘Yesterday I was kicked out of the Encore Beach Club for being gay.
‘I was made to leave the pool for wearing a Mr Turk bathing suit that they said was not “in integrity” with the brand of the pool party. In other words, I was kicked out for being a gay man wearing a bathing suit that was just a little too gay for the The Beach Club Encore Las Vegas to tolerate.
‘I was up all night because I couldn’t sleep from being so upset. I’ve cried so much,’ he said.
‘This is not a Speedo’
In the video, he’s talking with the bouncer about why the Vegas pool party asked him to leave. Donohoe argues the policy is ‘no Speedos’ but technically he is wearing a bathing suit from a different brand.
He says: ‘As far as I understand, the policy is no Speedos and this is not a Speedo. So I don’t actually understand why I’m being refused.
‘Just technically, and even realistically, this is not a Speedo,’ he adds.
The security guard argues it is against the dress code to wear a swimsuit like the one Donohoe is wearing.
At the time of writing, the video about the Vegas pool party has almost 80,000 views.
Drag Race queen Coco Montrese took to Twitter last night (7 August) to ask a question to the Encore Beach Club.
She tweeted: ‘Hey @EncoreBeachClub is it a dress code policy at a pool that men CAN NOT wear speedos but women can wear bikinis?
‘Asking for my friends in the entire tourist industry? PLEASE CLARIFY,’ she tweeted.
Wynn Resorts responds to the controversy
In response to the viral video, Michael Weaver, CMO at Wynn Resorts released a statement on this incident.
According to OUT, the full statement reads: ‘In order to maintain a five-star experience, Wynn Las Vegas requests that guests adhere to certain dress code policies throughout the resort.
Encore Beach Club. | Photo: Chris Goldberg / Flickr
‘In the Encore Beach Club, we had a policy, clearly posted at the entrance, which prohibited Speedos. Upon receiving a guest complaint, we reviewed the policy and have changed it. The new policy will allow Speedos, but will prohibit risqué and indecent swimwear for both men and women.
‘We will include the new policy on entry signage, as well as the club website. In order to help guests plan appropriately and enjoy a welcoming environment. We apologize to the guest who was affected by our previous policy.
‘Regarding LGBTQ+ guests, our policy has been clear and consistent for years. Wynn welcomes and appreciates all of our LGBTQ+ guests. Decisions to enforce policies are solely based on guest behavior, or in this case, attire.
‘We have always and will continue to apply attire policies equally to all of our guests, regardless of sexual orientation,’ the statement read.
