No Speedos Allowed: Gay Man Claims Discrimination at Encore Las Vegas Pool Party
A gay man named Chris Donahoe has alleged that the The Encore Beach Club Wynn Hotel resort in Las Vegas kicked him out of their pool for wearing a yellow speedo which wasn’t “in integrity” with the pool party’s brand. Encore Las Vegas Pool Party has responded to Donahoe’s claims by revising their policy to allow speedos (though they still forbid “risque” and “indecent” swimwear, whatever that means). Donahue says that other gay men have reached out to him with similar stories about being rejected from other pool parties over swimwear since he originally posted his video on Facebook.
On Facebook, Donahoe wrote, “Take a look at this video where I’m told that my clothing is not in ‘integrity’ with the pool party brand. This is what homophobia looks like. I was up all night because I couldn’t sleep from being so upset. I’ve cried so much. At the end of the day it is abundantly clear that LGBTQ+ people are not welcome at Wynn Las Vegas.”
In the video (below), Donahoe says he’s being ejected for wearing a Speedo (which, to be clear, is a name-brand of swimwear rather than a specific cut even though it’s often mentioned for that connotation). Donahoe says that he’s wearing a Mr. Turk brand swimsuit and questions why the anti-Speedo dress code exists to begin with.
“In other words,” Donahoe says, “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.”
Here is a video of Chris Donahoe being removed from the Encore Las Vegas Pool Party:
In a subsequent Facebook video (below), Donahoe wrote, “The thing that really upsets me about this is there were women with their titties out everywhere, which I support and endorse, but as soon as a man shows up looking gay AF they’re told ‘No, you don’t belong here.’”
He continues, “10 minutes before I was removed from the pool there were two men who laughed at me on the deck…. Two men walking by me laughing at me, pointing and laughing at what I was wearing … and then I’m removed from the pool [at Encore] for wearing inappropriate clothing … Meanwhile everyone else is doing what they do in Las Vegas.…
Here is a video of Chris Donahoe talking about being removed from the Encore Las Vegas Pool Party:
In a followup video, Donahoe says that other gay men have reached out to him with similar stories of ejection from other pool parties since he posted the video.
Update (Aug. 8, 2018): The Wynn Hotel which runs the Encore Las Vegas pool party released the following statement saying that they’ve revised their swimsuit policy, though it’s unclear whether they would’ve still kicked out Donahoe for risqué and indecent swimwear:
“In order to maintain a five-star experience, Wynn Las Vegas requests that guests adhere to certain dress code policies throughout the resort. 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.”
