Chris Donohoe was removed from Encore Beach Club at the Wynn Las Vegas, allegedly because of his choice of swimwear. Donohoe, who is gay, believes that it was an act of discrimination — which seems likely since they allowed women to wear the same thing.
Donohoe posted a video to his Facebook page that showed his confrontation with a general manager off camera.
“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 Beach Club Encore Las Vegas to tolerate,” he wrote.
Photos show employees of Encore and Wynn wearing thongs and other similar clothing — including a uniform bikini which was .
Also, numerous photos of celebrities like Adrianne Curry, have been promoted with her wearing less clothing.
An Encore VIP Host who didn’t want to go on record, said this is not the first time this has happened, and they have been instructed to remove people who “don’t fit the profile” of the party.
We asked the employee point blank what he meant, and he told me “our audience is all straight men who want to see women in bikinis. No one wants to see a gay guy with his junk in a banana sack.”
The swimsuit in question appears to be a swim brief, like a Speedo, which the person off camera says is against the pool’s dress code.
However, on Encore’s website, the dress code states: “Dress to impress, no baggy clothing, jeans, or basketball shorts. Pool attire is required to enter the venue.” The only listed “proper swim attire” are swimming suits, which Donohoe was wearing. It says nothing about gay swimsuits being banned.
After he shared his video, another man gay man, Juan Casado, shared his own experience, in which he was violently pushed from a dance platform into the pool by a security guard at the club.
Donohoe writes that it was “because only women are allowed to dance on the podium.”
Michael Weaver, chief marketing manager of Wynn Resorts, lied to press, claiming that “In order to maintain a five-star experience, Wynn Las Vegas requests that guests adhere to certain dress code policies throughout the resort,” although these policies were not posted anywhere or on the website.
In response to the complain, Weaver says now they will allow Gay Men to wear speedos, although this seems to be a little too late.
(Required Credit: Yahoo News)
Wynn has asked me to post their full statement, which I will do for full transparency.
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.
