AIDS Org. Made Men Over 40 Pay to Attend Pool Party

Impulse Group South Florida is under fire for a recent event that let young men in for free, while charging $50 to anyone over the age of 40.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

April 24 2015 5:51 PM EST

July 23 2019 3:22 AM EST

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The door policy at a recent Miami pool party hosted by the HIV organization Impulse Group South Florida has angered many South Floridians: free if you're 40 or younger, $50 if you're 41 or older.

"I'm amazed at the invite I just received -- free admission up to 40 years of age and $50 over 40," Ed Stevens told South Florida Gay News, which first reported the story. "In addition to whether this is even legal, it's a shocking and blatant attempt to exclude mature people and another instance of how people in our community should know better, given the discrimination and judgments we face in the mainstream world. And I was looking forward to going back to this beautifully restored landmark [the Vagabond Hotel]."

Impulse, funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, indirectly addressed the controversy in a Facebook post yesterday, where they highlighted the high rates of HIV among young men:

"The primary strategy is to organically establish a following of socially active, young gay men through engagement at large, organized events, such as Evolution, which occurred in Miami on April 18."

Impulse previously hosted another party at Fort Lauderdale Beach where older attendees paid more than younger ones. Another group, Pride Center of Equality Park, has a similar policy when it comes to fundraisers, but says the free and reduced tickets for younger men are a way to encourage more particpation from men in their 20s and 30s.