Long before the final countdown to the new year, the party was raging in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta. "Ring in the New Year at White Party Puerto Vallarta: UNITY where restaurants, gyms, bars and clubs are open and ready to welcome you to the ultimate New Years weekend getaway!!!" read the online invitation for American party promoter Jeffrey Sanker's annual New Year's Eve circuit party, a large all-night dance event for gay men.
Local officials were putting pressure on Sanker as the party neared, according to the Los Angeles Blade. Puerto Vallarta hospitals were at or near 100 percent capacity, and the state of Jalisco, where the resort town is located, was being throttled by Covid-19, with a reported 65 percent positivity rate, according to local news reports. Instead of canceling, Sanker moved the event to nearby Nuevo Vallarta, just 10 miles north, but in a different state with more relaxed Covid-19 regulations.
A cadre of Instagram accounts run by LGBTQ people have recently begun targeting fellow members of the queer community, particularly gay men, accusing them of publicly violating public health directives. Among the most popular is @GaysOverCovid, which as of Friday had over 120,000 followers. Since the summer, the anonymous account has been reposting travel photos that gay men have uploaded to their social media accounts. The account shares the men’s social media handles — often the same as their full names — and places of work. @GaysOverCovid did not respond to direct messages requesting comment.
"For gay people, clubbing and bars ... it's a sanctuary where we can be free and forget about reality for a little bit," he said. "It's been so long, and a lot of people are starting to want their normal lives back."
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