The discourse around the event could be dangerous if used as a talking point for anti-gay rhetoric.Ĭummings, running in New York's District 7 as a Democrat, told Insider that the party depicted in the videos didn't represent the LGBTQ community at large, saying, 'This party is not representative of any one group other than those across the board, of all backgrounds, who are choosing to ignore the advice of our scientific and medical professionals telling us to stay home and social distance.'Ĭummings noted that portraying the party as such could pose risks for the LGBTQ community. 'This country has time and time again pointed the finger at immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, and brown and black Americans for its problems.
This crisis is no different, and once again, we must overcome this prejudice and ignore the hateful rhetoric,' Cummings told Insider in an email. There have already been critical claims since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic that 'gay parties' specifically have spread COVID-19. One such viral theory, spread by religious zealots, alleged that footage from a large party of mostly gay men was the 'last gay congregation' in Italy before the outbreak.
