Circuit Party Leaves Fire Island Pines, Joins Boycott Of Manhattan Hoteliers

Edge Media reports:

The drama in Fire Island Pines now officially spans two continents. The Ascension Party, a staple of the circuit scene for nine years, is packing up and leaving Fire Island Pines and traveling to Mykonos this August, citing the recent boycott against OUTpost Fire Island Pines properties as the impetus for the move. The announcement marks the second time the Ascension Party has changed dates and venues for its 2015 edition. Prior to the move to Mykonos, Ascension's producers announced that the party, long held in the middle of August, would be moved to Labor Day weekend. The move angered fans of the party, many of whom arranged for their house share weekends to coincide with the original date.

Although there was immediate speculation surrounding the motivation behind the move to Mykonos, suspicions were put to rest Friday morning when Ascension's producer, Eric Von Kuersteiner announced his reasons for moving the party via post on the closed Facebook group "Free" Fire Island Pines. In the post, Von Kuersteiner cites the recent boycott of the OUTpost Fire Island Pines properties that arose when one of its partners, Ian Reisner, co-hosted an ersatz fund raising party for anti-gay GOP hopeful Ted Cruz at his Manhattan home in June. "I thought that the Boycott would have convinced Ian (Reisner) to do the right thing and sell (he's had offers since I withdrew mine) unfortunately however he has not," Von Kuersteiner wrote, previously citing the economic boom the Ascension Party gives to the Fire Island Pines commercial district each year.

(Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

REPORT: Hotelier Mati Weiderpass Ejected From Fire Island Pines Nightclub

The New York Post reports that beleaguered Manhattan hotelier Mati Weiderpass was tossed out of the Fire Island Pines nightclub Sip-N-Twirl on Sunday after being confronted by patrons furious about his meeting with Sen. Ted Cruz.

Customer Evan Lobel said, “One guy got up and asked him what the rationale was to have dinner with Cruz. They got kind of heated and before you knew it, there was a lot of people yelling.” We’re told owner P.J. McAteer asked them to leave the bar and threatened to call police. “Upon their departure, the crowd cheered,” Lobel posted on Facebook. Another source added: “This was strictly between P.J. and Mati.” Weiderpass said in a statement, “P.J. McAteer is condemning me for what he perceives as my thoughts and beliefs by asking me to leave a venue open to all. As small-minded as that is, I have been and will always be an advocate for LGBTQ issues.”

I was under the impression that Weiderpass' business partner Ian Reisner owns a stake in Sip-N-Twirl. Readers?

Queer Nation To Fly Boycott Banner Over Fire Island Pines Businesses

Via press release from Queer Nation:

A plane trailing a banner reading “Boycott Hi/Lo Tea! Fight For Full LGBT Rights!” will fly above the beach at Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines on Sunday, June 7, between 2 pm and 3 pm. The action will underscore the LGBT community’s outrage over the April 20 meeting between Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and gay businessmen Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass, who subsequently donated money to the Cruz campaign. The two gay men also held an April 14 fundraiser at their Manhattan penthouse for Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), another anti-LGBT politician.

Reisner and Weiderpass own most of the businesses in the Pines—including the Blue Whale, Sip-N-Twirl, and the Pavilion, where the “High Tea” and “Low Tea” cocktail hours are held—as well as the gay-oriented Out Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.“Two gay business owners are making money off of the LGBT community at a world-famous gay vacation spot and then giving that money to outspoken anti-LGBT politicians,” said Ken Kidd, a member of Queer Nation, the gay rights group that orchestrated the flyover. “Our community is out to win comprehensive federal legislation that will make LGBT Americans fully equal under the law. We will not be taken backward by funding anti-LGBT politicians.”

Has attendance at these Fire Island businesses been affected so far? Readers?

New York Times: Hotelier Ian Reisner DID Make A Campaign Donation To Ted Cruz

Via the New York Times:

When the gay hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass found themselves under siege for hosting a dinner for Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who is running for president and has been vociferously opposed to same-sex marriage, they repeatedly stressed that the event was not a fund-raiser.

“There were no checks given, it was nothing like that,” Mr. Reisner told New York magazine, after The New York Times first reported on the mid-April dinner at the Central Park South penthouse. Protests and calls for boycotts of Mr. Reisner’s and Mr. Weiderpass’s properties, including their groundbreaking hotel for gay clientele, the Out NYC, ensued.

As it turns out, Mr. Reisner himself wrote a check to Mr. Cruz’s presidential campaign, making a $2,700 donation — the maximum allowed in a nominating contest — around the time the dinner took place. But shortly after The Times reported on the dinner, where about 18 people sat down at two tables in separate areas of the palatial penthouse, Mr. Reisner called the campaign and asked for his check to be refunded.

“In the interest of transparency, I gave Senator Cruz a $2,700 check to show my support for his work on behalf of Israel,” Mr. Reisner said in a statement he provided after The Times learned of the donation from two people with direct knowledge of it. “When I realized his donation could be misconstrued as supporting his anti-gay marriage agenda, I asked for the money back. Senator Cruz’s office gave the money back, and I have no intention of giving any money to any politicians who aren’t in support of L.G.B.T. issues.”

According to the Times, Mati Weiderpass "seemed surprised" to learn about Reisner's donation when asked about it last night at an event at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. At last night's event, one of the speakers just happened to be Ted Cruz. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

HomoQuotable - Armistead Maupin

"I'm the only gay man I know who has never been to Fire Island. I have not made a point of staying away -- its charms are legendary, of course -- but the occasion has simply never presented itself. Now, it's quite likely that I will remain forever virginal in that regard. Or at least until these guys are no longer collecting money at the dock. When I coined the term 'A-gay' forty years ago, these were just the sort of creeps I had in mind. It was never intended as something to aspire to." - Armistead Maupin, reacting to this New York Times profile of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass. (Tipped by JMG reader Aaron)

Hotelier Ian Reisner Continues Apology Tour, Donates $20K To Fire Island PAC

Per the president of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association, the below apology from Manhattan hotelier Ian Reisner was read at the group's meeting over the weekend.

Dear Members of our Community, First I want to clear up that Mati Weiderpass has zero involvement or ownership in the Pines. Now let me state unequivocally that I made mistakes. While my initial intention was bi-partisan dialogue about National & Israeli security, I've come to learn that intentions and outcomes are different things. The outcomes of my actions are that I've deeply hurt our community - and I am truly sorry. In order to help build a stronger community I am taking the following steps: I am renewing and redoubling my commitment as an ardent supporter of LGBT causes. I will continue to invest my resources in the Pines, its cultural programs and activities that celebrate the diversity and acceptance of its community members, so that it always holds its rightful place in LGBT history. To this end, today I made a donation to the 'FIPPOA-PAC' -- matching All funds raised in its last active year -- which supports politicians committed to the Pines and to LGBT issues.  More so, I will be donating profits from my Pines Investment this summer to the following organizations that I have supported in the past: The LGBT Community Center in NYC & The Jerusalem Open House, as well as to 'Equality Texas' which fights for LGBT rights on one of this countries more challenging fronts. Further, I am in the process of hiring a Director of Community Affairs to serve as a liaison with various LGBT organizations and to guide me in better serving our community.

The donation was reportedly $20,000.

NOTE: High season on Fire Island kicks off this weekend. It will be interesting to hear reports on attendance at Reisner's businesses there.

New York City Hotelier Mati Weiderpass: I Won't Be Silenced By Gay Extremists

"Since hosting a discussion with Texas Senator Ted Cruz in my home, I have been inundated with hateful, biased social media messages, and attacks from gay extremists (do I dare say the word?) who demand inclusion, but do not believe in dialogue. I know in my heart that these attacks do not represent the rich culture and diversity of the gay community. Yet, in our community, as in so many others, the most vocal often dominate the conversation. I hope this op-ed will help heal wounds and continue necessary progress and discussion. It is amazing that my businesses are being boycotted by some because I hosted a discussion with an elected official. Not a fundraiser. Not an endorsement. A dialogue. What would we say if the Jewish community organized a boycott of a business leader who hosted a private discussion with an important Muslim politician? We know the answer. I am a longtime leader of my community – and proud of who I am and what I have accomplished. Boycotting me for a discussion? Since when have we grown so small and intolerant?" - Manhattan hotelier Mati Weiderpass, in the opening of his New York Observer op-ed. (Tipped by JMG reader Griffin)

Manhattan Club Promoter Fires Back At Hotelier Ian "Gays Are Cheap" Reisner

Longtime Manhattan nightlife promoter John Blair took to Facebook this weekend to react to beleaguered hotelier Ian Reisner's declaration that his club is losing money because gays are cheap.

Gays, like any group, will spend their money when you give them something that they want or need. Do not blame the community for any of your failures to make money. XL made over $8M dollars the year Beto and I ran it. Then you all thought you could do it by yourself and we got the ax. You lost your shirt the next two years trying to do it yourself. So you have no one to blame but yourselves. Gays are not cheap... as a matter of fact we spend more of our money on going to bars, nightclubs, hotels and restaurants than do most other people. Just tell the truth. You have lost money on The OUT NYC because of the way you and Mati managed or should I say mismanaged THE OUT NYC ... don't blame us for your mistakes.

Blair and his husband Beto Sutter were the main promoters of the now-shuttered Roxy nightclub before moving on to launch Reisner's XL club. In 2012 the couple married at the Out NYC in a ceremony officiated by actress Fran Drescher and reported upon by the New York Times.

New York City Council LGBT Caucus Backs Boycott Of Gay Hoteliers

Posted yesterday to the Facebook page for the boycott of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass:

STATEMENT - LGBT CAUCUS - NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

"Owning businesses that cater to the LGBT community comes with a heightened level of responsibility. For the proprietors of the OUTnyc and Fire Island Pines, hosting anti-LGBT politicians like Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson in their home - for whatever reason - was the height of irresponsibility. We hope that the events of the last week send a message to businesses that serve our community: you cannot make money from our community and support those who don't support our basic civil rights."

LGBT Caucus - Council Members Daniel Dromm (Queens), Corey Johnson (Manhattan), Carlos Menchaca (Brooklyn), Rosie Mendez (Manhattan), Ritchie Torres (Bronx), James Van Bramer (Queens)

‪#‎BoycottFIPOut‬

Breitbart Headline Of The Day

Similar headlines can be found across Teabagistan.

CRUZ FALLOUT: Broadway Cares Cancels AIDS Fundraiser At Ian Reisner's Hotel

From the executive director of Broadway Cares:

It is with regret that we have decided to cancel this year’s edition of the Broadway Bares Solo Strips fundraiser, which was scheduled for May 10 at the NYC club 42West. We cannot in good conscience hold an event at a venue whose owners have alienated our community, as reflected in an April 23 New York Times story and an April 24 follow-up post. We do business with and accept fundraising support from a variety of people across a wide spectrum of political and religious affiliations. The rich diversity of our community makes what we do together so special. It is a rare instance where the actions of a donor negatively impacts us as an organization and potentially jeopardizes our relationship with others whose support is integral to our success. But when it does occur, in a way that’s blatantly against all we stand and work for, we can’t pretend it doesn’t come with consequences. Silence is not a neutral position. It is complicit. This is not about partisan politics or punishment. This is about doing what’s right to ultimately ensure that our commitment to the men, women and children we serve cannot be questioned.

Fallout has been equally swift across Manhattan's clubland. Links to the boycott of Reisner's properties have been posted by top New York City club promoters John Blair and Mark Nelson, both of whom have worked with Reisner's clubs in the past. Facebook pages for Reisner's various businesses have been deluged with negative comments and vows to stay away. Also interesting are boycott pledges by summer-long residents of Fire Island Pines, who would have few other options as Reisner recently paid $10M for 80% of the resort town's commercial district. At this writing the boycott's Facebook group has grown to over 4100 members in just one day.

NOTE: Broadway Bares 25 will take place as scheduled at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 24th. Get tickets here.

Ted Cruz: I Took Money From Those Gays But I'm Still Against Same-Sex Marriage UPDATE: Maybe It Wasn't A Fundraiser?

Earlier today the New York Times reported that Sen. Ted Cruz held a fundraiser this week in the Manhattan penthouse of multimillionaire gay hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass (above). As you can imagine, that report has caused a furor in Teabagistan and tonight Cruz had to rush out a reassuring statement.

Ted Cruz was forced to reiterate his stance against same-sex marriage in a Thursday night statement after a news report of comments he made at a fundraising event on Monday in New York City cast some doubt. Cruz, who hopes to court evangelical voters to support his presidential bid, stood by what he reportedly told a small group, hosted by "two prominent gay hoteliers," according to The New York Times. The Times reported his remarks seemed to signal a softening of his beliefs on same-sex marriage, a charge Cruz dismissed.

"It speaks volumes that The New York Times considers it newsworthy that a Republican who believes marriage is between a man and a woman would meet with people who hold a different view," Cruz said in a statement. Earlier on Thursday, the Times -- a frequent rhetorical target of Cruz on the stump -- published an account of an event on Monday evening in which Cruz said he would treat his young daughters the same if one of them told him she was gay. Cruz agreed with that reporting, but ridiculed the suggestion in the article that he was somehow shaping his views to suit the audience's. The Texas senator said he told the crowd that he opposed same-sex marriage. The Times reported that he did not mention that belief, only noting that he believes marriage is a state issue

News about the fundraiser has also ignited the gay blogosphere and a Facebook group calling for a boycott of the hoteliers' properties already has 1000 members.

UPDATE: There are conflicting reports at whether the event with Cruz was a fundraiser.  CNN is saying that it was, but the New York Times is saying this "Mr. Cruz was on a fund-raising tour of New York City, although the dinner was not a fund-raiser." Reisner's statement in the post above this one does not say.

UPDATE II: I should have identified Mati Weiderpass in the above photo posted to the Facebook boycott page.

Fire Island Business District Auctions To Manhattan Hotelier Ian Reisner For $10M

Via the New York Times:

A strip of commercial real estate along the harbor in Fire Island Pines sold for $10.1 million at auction on Thursday to developers with plans to continue the revival of a former mecca for closeted gay men. The sale price was well below the $25 million the previous owners sought when they placed it on the market last fall, and below the $17 million they paid for it in 2010. In a deal hammered out over more than six hours, the property was bought by Ian Reisner, who also owns the Out NYC, a hotel on West 42nd Street in Manhattan that focuses on a gay clientele. The deal is expected to close in February.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Reisner said he, his business partner and a small team of investors planned to spend $4 million over the next 18 months to “renovate and rejuvenate” the property, which includes a hotel, a nightclub, a restaurant, a bar and retail space. The Pavilion nightclub in Fire Island Pines was rebuilt after a 2011 fire and reopened, but in the interim the crowd moved on. “My idea for the Out was to have a place for L.G.B.T., because we didn’t have that at the time,” said Mr. Reisner, who said he has been visiting Fire Island Pines since he came out as gay in 1989. “The Pines is the Out.”

Reisner was last in the news back in October when a 25 year-old Hell's Kitchen club manager died of an apparent drug overdose in his $25M Central Park South penthouse.

Fire Sale On Fire Island

Five years ago three young hotshots bought the bulk of the commercial district in Fire Island Pines for a reported $17M.  Later this month that same group of businesses goes up for auction for a considerably lower opening bid.

Maltz Auctions, a leading full-service auction company serving the New York metropolitan region, announced today that it will auction The Fire Island Pines resort commercial district complex, comprising restaurants, nightclubs, retail, a hotel and residential housing, conveniently located only 90 minutes from New York City. Considered the best-known and most beloved gay community in the world, with its famous sandy beaches facing the Atlantic Ocean, The Pines is the premier gay vacation get-away in the tri-state area and attracts an affluent, international audience. Originally listed at $24.925 million, the suggested opening bid is only $8.5 million, offering tremendous potential to the right buyer to convert the existing Botel, the only commercially zoned hotel in The Pines, into a boutique hotel. All viewings and inspections will be by appointment. The auction will be held on Jan. 22, 2015, at 1 p.m., with registration beginning at 12 p.m., at Maltz Auctions Gallery, 39 Windsor Place, Central Islip, NY 11722.

Among the businesses being sold as a group are the recently rebuilt Pavilion nightclub, the Blue Whale bar and restaurant, the Botel Hotel, the Rack Gym, and several retail shops.

Morning View - Fire Island Superman

This life-sized Superman statue guards the front gate of one of the oceanside houses in Fire Island Pines.  The first time we walked past it, it was quite dark out and we thought somebody was going for some cosplay action.

Original Fire Island Pines Sign

Circa 1957.

Photographer Joe Hepworth

This afternoon Father Tony and I dropped in at the 14th biennial Fire Island Pines Art Show, where my pal (and former NYC Eagle bartender) Joe Hepworth was showing some of his photography.

Afternoon View - Fire Island Pavilion

This (I think) is the third Fire Island Pines Pavilion, which contains two bars, a nightclub, a gym, and several retailers. It's rainy and grey here today and most folks haven't yet ventured out of their houses.

Afternoon View - Fire Island Marina

I'm with Father Tony as the guests of the hamlet of Fire Island Pines for a weekend press junket. I'll have more photos tomorrow and Sunday should the FSM provide me with reliable internet, something that Fire Island is notoriously short on.

At The 2013 Drag Invasion Of The Pines

Yesterday my pal Jerry accompanied me to the Invasion Of The Pines, the 37th annual marking of the day in 1976 when a drag queen was denied service at a restaurant in Fire Island Pines. Every Fourth of July since then, hundreds of drag queens board a chartered ferry in Cherry Grove and "invade" the Pines for a day exploding with glitter, feathers, and lots and lots of drinking.  I've posted about 150 photos from our day in chronological order of the madness. Lots of handsome men and hilarious drag at the link. You'll probably want to check out Paula Deen's full outfit....