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Tomi Lahren denies kicking bisexual YouTube star out of Sundance event

The YouTuber has since apologized to Lahren via Twitter.

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Samantha Grasso
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YouTuber Shane Dawson alleges he was ejected from a military event hosted by Tomi Lahren because he was holding hands with his boyfriend.

According to tweets by Dawson from Monday night, the YouTuber was attending a “military event” with his boyfriend, Ryland Adams, a host for the YouTube channel ClevverTV, when the incident occurred. The event was called Remind the Nation, a series of events designed to share the stories of veterans. 

The event was also in connection with Sundance Film Festival, though it is unclear if it was an official Sundance event. Zero Films Productions, one of the organizations showcasing work at Remind the Nation, wrote on their Facebook page that their film, Stacked Deck: Journey of a Skytrooper, was being showcased at the film festival, and images and videos of the event allege it took place at Sundance, though the festival’s printable schedule doesn’t list the title nor the event.

Per Dawson’s tweets, he and Adams were ejected from the event for holding hands, though Dawson says in a video taken at the event that he was on “the list” to attend. Dawson is publicly bisexual, which he announced in a coming out video in 2015.

Screengrab via shanedawson/Twitter

Screengrab via shanedawson/Twitter

Screengrab via shanedawson/Twitter

Screengrab via shanedawson/Twitter

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https://twitter.com/duhitzevie/status/823791154478972929

Initially, Dawson accused Lahren of having made the decision to have him and Adams denied entry, but he later rescinded the accusation, apologized to Lahren via Twitter, and deleted his tweets. 

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Lahren denied Dawson’s initial story via Facebook, alleging a completely different version in which Dawson and Adams disrupted the event. According to Lahren, Dawson and Adams asked for a picture with her, then jumped in front of her during the photo and kissed each other.

“They were not there to support the event. They were not there to take a photo with me. They were there to instigate and make a spectacle to advance whatever political message they placed above common courtesy for our veteran event,” Lahren wrote.

[Placeholder for https://www.facebook.com/TomiLahren/posts/1209854975774354 embed.]

Since Dawson shared his story fans have tweeted with the hashtags #IStandWithShane and #TomiLahrenIsOverParty in solidarity of the YouTube star, despite his retracted allegations against Lahren.

https://twitter.com/cypherhowlter/status/823788558368591872

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https://twitter.com/relentlesspayne/status/823892593561845765

“Anyone who knows me knows I am a social moderate and have always welcomed the LGBT community to my show. The dialogue has always been open to you as it is to anyone I may disagree with or differ from,” Lahren wrote in her statement. “It’s sad you didn’t take the opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation but rather tried to disrupt and derail an event for veterans and service members.”

She continued online. 

Representation for Dawson, Adams, and Remind the Nation have not returned requests for comment. Lahren’s representatives directed the Daily Dot to her Facebook statement. Officers with the police department of Park City, Utah, the city in which Sundance is held, and the encompassing Summit County told the Daily Dot that no reports involving someone by Dawson’s name have been filed.

Interestingly, on her show yesterday, Lahren came out against the “social experiment” in the military.

Update 9:15am CT, Jan. 25: In a statement to the Daily Dot, Jillian Barker, co-producer of the Remind the Nation event, said Dawson and Adams weren’t on the list for the event and weren’t removed for their sexual orientations.

“Yes, Tomi Lahren hosted our event. Although, she was not involved nor the reason for Shane Dawson and his group of friends being removed from the event. They were simply not on the list, and in NO WAY were removed because of sexual orientation or because Shane was holding hands with his boyfriend. As the co-producer of the event, I personally took the time to ensure Shane was [okay], additionally bringing in paramedics to check on his physical state. He politely declined such assistance.”

Correction: This headline has been updated.

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Samantha Grasso

Samantha Grasso is a former IRL staff writer for the Daily Dot with a reporting emphasis on immigration. Her work has appeared on AJ+, Vox, Splinter, Los Angeles Magazine, and Austin Monthly.

Samantha Grasso
 
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