This past weekend, I was travelling, when all of a sudden, I started getting alerts from my social media feeds with the headlines like “This Gay Man Was Kicked Out of Vegas Pool Because of His ‘Speedo’” (Out.com), “Man in speedo cries homophobia after being asked to leave pool for violating ‘no speedo’ policy” (Queerty.com), and “Man kicked out of Vegas pool party for ‘being gay’” (PinkNews.com).  My immediate thought was “Oh, this outta be good,” so I clicked on one, and was redirected to the aforementioned Queerty article, by Graham Gremore; whereupon I gleened the following details that I’ll post, in the very briefest of terms:

• After being told that his bathing suit was not in keeping with the Dress Code at Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas – that is posted all over the place, and at the time of the incident included Speedos on a list of inappropriate attire, under the heading ‘THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE PROHIBITED’ – EBC patron Chris Donahoe, took umbrage; but when he was informed that he’d have to cover-up or change, he was downright offended. [For instance, he might have opted to don far "gayer" garments - a Malay sarong, a Tahitian pāreu, or Brazillian canga, for instance; not to mention that pair of shorts, tucked under his arm.]
• In a video that Donohoe posted to Facebook (that he has since removed), Donohoe is shown arguing with a manager of Encore Beach Club, as well as the venue’s director of security, who’ve been tasked with explaining what a Dress Code is, to a guest. Upon being (politely!) informed of this, Donohoe, becomes incredulous about the ‘No Speedo’ policy, saying “As far as I understand the policy says no Speedos and this is not a Speedo. Technically, and even just realistically, this is not a speedo.”*
• Finally, Donohoe (in the Facebook video) accuses the EBC staff members of making him leave, because he’s gay; to which a team member calmly replies, by saying “Sir, this has nothing to do with your sexual preference.”
• As a result of Donohoe’s post – that included such quotes as “…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 (sic) to tolerate,” and “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,” – the story was picked up by various media outlets, around the world. [These quotes would later prove to be unnervingly similar to Donohoe’s April 15th Twitter post, wherein he claimed to have been ‘profiled and searched for being gay’ by a TSA Agent at Houston’s George Bush International Airport who’d instructed him to ‘spread his legs wider,’ while patting him down.  Donohoe concluded by saying “Left my laptop at security I was so upset.’] 

After reading the article, and a few others on the topic, I became angry; and (owing to my being a multidimensional fellow), I’m angry on a few levels, and for different reasons.

• I’m angry as a human being, who knows that there are legitimate cases of discrimination and bigotry, happening right now – whether in Las Vegas, in the US, or around the world – and as a result of Donohoe’s erroneous cry of “homophobia,” those voices are not being heard over this nonsense.  What’s worse, is that someone facing legitimate bigotry, or homophobia, or discrimination, or even violence, might have an even more difficult time reporting it to the proper authorities, or might decide to not say anything at all, because of fears that nobody will listen.
• I’m angry as an out and (usually) proud gay man, who has seen bigotry and hatred (often due to nothing more than ignorance), up-close-and-personal.
• I’m angry as a white cis-man with far too many friends who have been raped, molested, abused, harassed, traumatized, beaten, bullied, or victimized; who caught this gem buried in Donohoe’s tale of woe, “I’m a white guy and I have power in society and I still felt completely powerless.”  (In addition to making me angry, this truly sickened me.)
• I’m angry as a writer, who has been published in numerous publications worldwide, at the various media outlets that – for the sake of producing licentious click-bait – legitimized what was later revealed to be erroneous, without asking any questions, doing any reporting, or even wondering about situational context; let alone reaching-out to Wynn Resorts for a comment.** 
• I’m angry as a resident of Las Vegas, because regardless of anything that can be said about me (and there’s a lot), my sincere love for this town is unimpeachable.  And this is not good for this town, nor for its residents, in any way, shape, or form.
• Finally, I’m angry as a longtime patron and fan of Wynn Resorts (which, it should be noted, has been the leaderboard advertiser, on this site, since I rolled out ShulmanSays, in 2009), Wynn Las Vegas (which opened on my birthday, in 2005, and continues to shape and define what it means to be a world-class luxury resort, today), and Wynn Nightlife (which I’ve been fortunate to observe, from all sides, since its inception).

Now, let’s put aside the fact that I know whose name(s) to drop, were this ever to happen to me (and let me emphatically state that it in no way has).  Does this mean that all of the doormen or members of Security or servers know me?  Of course not.  Why would they?  (I may be self-absorbed; but I’m certainly not delusional…)

So, when I tell you that I’ve strolled across the Casino floor at Wynn Las Vegas, numerous times – during peak hours – while featuring such looks as a beaded caftan and a matching turban, a hand-painted jacket with a sequined turban, a Saudi Arabian abaya and yet another turban, and on one occasion, a Chinese cheongsam with boots and a boa (all paired with copious amounts of diamonds or multiple waist-length strands of pearls – sometimes of the South Sea variety, but usually Tahitian...), and the ONLY thing that’s been uttered by ANY member of the Wynn staff unknown to me, has been something along the lines of “Welcome to Wynn Las Vegas: Can I help you with directions, somewhere?” or, if I’m fumbling for something in my pockets, maybe “Excuse me, Sir; did you need help with anything?”

Don’t get me wrong: I get a LOT of lingering looks (or downright stares), and more eye-rolls than I could ever count.  I’ve even seen a mother cover her child’s eyes, as I passed.  But a staff member disrespect, malign, or insult me?  Never.

So, as regards Wynn Resorts, I can assure you that not only is the company NOT anti-LGBTQ+ (or anti-any minority, for that matter), but is - along with many of our local gaming concerns - among the most inclusive and gay-friendly companies, anywhere.  And, while I can’t believe I’m actually about to list off some of the company’s LGBTQ+ bona fides, here are a few of note… (Oh goodie, more bullet-points.)

• The first ceremony performed in the Wynn Wedding Chapel (thirteen years ago, mind you) was a gay commitment-ceremony.
• Nearly a decade ago, the resort established its Pride Concierge, a year-round service to assist LGBTQ+ guests and those interested in attending LGBTQ+ events.  Since then, the Concierge Department has expanded its purview to incorporate this, resort-wide.
• Wynn Resorts was the only company in its industry to score 100% on the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, in its first year of participation; and has maintained that score of 100%, every year since.
• Recognizing the need for advancing diversity and equality within the organization, this past spring; Wynn Resorts implemented a Diversity Council, headed by the company’s VP of Culture and Community, Corrine Clement.

There’s so much more that can be said on this subject, and were I less of a gentleman, I might apply to Donohoe that wonderful Shakespearean metaphor for life, from Macbeth (Act V, Scene V); but I’m not, so I won’t.***  Instead, I’m going to bed; with the hopes that, as free-thinking adults, you are able to determine for yourselves which parts of the sounds you are hearing are merely noise.

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[Editor’s Notes: *A pair of Mr. Turk “swim-briefs” that, while not Speedo-brand, per se; were basically a bright yellow mankini so skimpy that even the most casual passers-by could tell you what Mr. Donohoe’s religion was (or wasn’t, as the case may be) / **While many of these articles added a comment from Michael Weaver (SVP/CMO, Wynn Resorts), they didn’t do so until a couple of days after posting the original article.  And rest assured, none of those updates was e-blasted to subscribers or followers / ***“This life… is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”]