Hundreds of gay men evicted from Dallas hotel after AKA Sorority members complained about their attire

Over the weekend inTexas, hundreds of gay men attending the Daddyland circuit party in Dallas were evicted from the Crowne Plaza Downtown Dallas, the host hotel at which they were staying, leading to mass confusion and accusations of homophobia. The eviction was prompted by complaints by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members, who were also in town for their biennial national convention, according to the hotel owner. He said the women complained about the attire of some of the Daddyland attendees.

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A sudden eviction

Security officers and hotel management delivered the eviction notice around 4 p.m. Saturday. Occupants of 88 rooms were asked to leave, the owner said, though a Daddyland representative said the number was closer to 300. However, the hotel has only 292 rooms, according to Visit Dallas.

The notice was blunt and to the point: “The OWNER OF THE HOTEL is requesting you LEAVE [IMMEDIATELY]. You will get a refund for Saturday, July 6, 2024, and Sunday, July 7, 2024. Please move out BY 6 PM. ALL PARTIES & EVENTS ARE CANCELLED SATURDAY 7/6, SUNDAY 7/7, & MONDAY 7/8.”

The resulting chaotic scene left many attendees of the popular LGBTQ+ circuit party scrambling to find alternative accommodations. Attendees reported seeing a hotel employee and a security officer handing out letters and telling guests they needed to vacate the premises by 7 p.m., although the flyer said 6 p.m. Some attendees said they were asleep when the notices were served, while others said they were away from the hotel at the time and didn’t know what happened until they returned and had minutes to pack.

Contradictory accounts

The hotel’s owner, Terry Tognazzini, told The Advocate that the eviction was a response to complaints from AKA members, who were uncomfortable with the attire and behavior of Daddyland attendees. He said that some people associated with the Daddyland event were mostly undressed when in the public areas of the hotel. According to Tognazzini, between 30 and 40 members of the sorority with reservations who were checking into the hotel threatened to cancel their stays, though about 20 returned. An attendee who spoke to The Advocate on the condition of anonymity said that he witnessed AKA members and some of the gay men in the hotel lobby complimenting each other’s outfits but that he didn’t notice anybody upset. Tognazzini said his decision was driven by a need to protect the hotel’s reputation and maintain a comfortable environment for all guests. “We have rules here of clothes, and they’re supposed to wear their clothes, and they didn’t wear their clothes,” Tognazzini told The Advocate in a lengthy interview. He emphasized that previous Daddyland events had not caused issues, but this year’s gathering differed.

However, a Daddyland staff member, who spoke to The Advocate on condition of anonymity, disputed Tognazzini’s account. The staff member insisted that the event had followed all the usual protocols and that the complaints were overblown. They noted that while some attendees might have been scantily clad, such as wearing jockstraps or minimal clothing in the event space, it was no different from typical circuit party attire. He said that guests came to the event fully clothed and may have disrobed in part once in the private area. ”Some guys had maybe an inch of fabric covering them,” the staffer said. “But that’s the norm for these events.” They also highlighted that the hotel’s decision to cancel all Daddyland events misled many attendees into believing that off-site events were also canceled, resulting in significant financial losses.

Mixed reactions and accusations

The LGBTQ+ community has reacted with a mix of outrage and confusion. Many believe the hotel’s actions were rooted in homophobia. One anonymous attendee told The Advocate, “I honestly didn’t witness anything egregiously wild and out of the ordinary for a regular circuit party. I think there is a matter of attendees not respecting the public spaces based on stories I’ve heard. But the hotel kicking out all attendees immediately was horrendously inappropriate.”

Kayvon Sohrabi, a clothing designer and vendor at the event who was also kicked out of his hotel room along with his husband and two dogs, felt the eviction was a clear act of homophobia. “A pool party at the hotel had women dressed in bikini tops and bottoms walking through the lobby, and nobody seemed to care. But gay men in short shorts and tank tops led to a mass eviction,” Sohrabi told The Advocate.

Disrupted plans

The abrupt eviction also disrupted the plans of many attendees. One anonymous guest recounted the experience of receiving the eviction notice at their door and the subsequent scramble to find information and pack up. “We didn’t have enough time to gather our things or process what was going on. We were simply told we had to leave the hotel,” they said.

Another attendee shared his experience of the chaotic scene. He mentioned seeing people packing and leaving hurriedly and feeling embarrassed when checking out as other hotel patrons realized what was happening. He also noted that customer service agents for the parent company of the franchise hotel, IHG, seemed unaware of the situation when he contacted them for more information.

Related: What is Daddyland, the gay circuit party evicted from a Dallas hotel?

Official reactions

Ersin Winokur, the promoter of Daddyland, posted a statement on Facebook addressing the incident. He claimed that despite event planners' efforts to negotiate and offer additional security measures, the hotel owner was disrespectful and decided to evict everyone attending the events.

“The host hotel has advisedDaddyLand Festival - Dallas 2024 due to complaints by guests not part of the festival they would be canceling the remaining events,” Winokur wrote. “During negotiations to rectify the situation and offering to place extra security and make more accommodation to the guests staying in the hotel, ownership became outwardly disrespectful to the team, its party guests, and parts of our community. While we stand up for the many for the actions of the few the owner refused to listen to reason and made the decision to evict without notice everyone attending our events. We are committed to making this right for those affected.”

Winokur assured attendees they would receive refunds for the canceled events and that the remaining Daddyland events at other venues would continue as planned. He also referred The Advocate to a staff member who asked to remain anonymous but reiterated that many of the justifications being posted online were untrue.

The Advocate contacted AKA for comment but did not receive a response. Vice President Kamala Harris, an AKA member, is scheduled to speak at the sorority’s convention Wednesday.

Dispelling rumors

Among the rumors that swirled around the incident were accusations that attendees had been found nude and unconscious in the lobby, that some flashed other hotel guests in an elevator, or that syringes with the erectile dysfunction medication Trimix were discovered in a designated “boom boom room," where attendees could have sex. Tognazzini and Daddyland staff firmly denied these rumors. Tognazzini confirmed that no such incidents had occurred and that the decision to evict the attendees was based on complaints about their attire.

The anonymous Daddyland staff member echoed this, noting that reports of a dark “boom boom room” were untrue, though some attendees dispute this claim. They also highlighted that off-duty Dallas police officers were staffing the event, and no police reports were made.

Don’t come back

Tognazzini said the incident cost the hotel between $60,000 and $70,000. He said the hotel had previously hosted Daddyland without issues and insisted that his actions were not rooted in homophobia. “My son is gay, and I’ve been to a lot of gay parties. We have a lot of gay people here, and we are in favor of the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. He added, “I’m a liberal. Everyone is welcome here.” He said that the incident could have been avoided had the promoter bought out the entire hotel. Despite this, he clarified that he would no longer work with Daddyland’s promoter due to the recent events. “The last time they were perfect. This time, it went to hell,” he added, emphasizing that the promoter’s handling of the event was a significant factor in the decision.

Tognazzini also addressed rumors of nonpayment, saying that the promoter had paid all the bills. “The promoter put people in here, screwed us all up. We talked to him, he couldn’t do anything, so we threw ’em all out,” Tognazzini said. “It happens.”