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Acension Beach Party Moves To Mykonos Amid Fire Island Pines Boycott

Eric Von Kuersteiner, the producer behind Fire Island's annual Ascension Beach Party, announced he'll be moving the event to Mykonos, Greece this year due to the growing boycott against Fire Island Pines owner Ian Reisner.

Von Kuersteiner announced the move in a Facebook post on Friday, which claimed the party is "going global" to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Ascension and Fund In the Sun, the parent charity it benefits.

Related: Hotelier Ian Reisner Reveals The Out NYC Hasn’t Turned A Profit Blaming “Cheap” And “Entitled” Gays

He later confirmed the move to Gay Star News, noting he'd only consider bringing Ascension back to Fire Island again once "Reisner sold his properties to someone else."

The boycott against Reisner and his Fire Island properties, as well as his business partner Mati Weiderpass and their Manhattan hotel the Out NYC, began in May after it was discovered Reisner had donated money to anti-gay Senator Ted Cruz and then lied about it.

[caption id="attachment_208290" align="alignnone" width="605"]Kelly Rowland performing at Ascension in 2009 / AscensionParty.com Kelly Rowland performing at Ascension in 2009 / AscensionParty.com [/caption]

Since then, Reisner and Weiderpass have experienced heckling in the Fire Island Pines and large protests outside the Out NYC.

Related: Gay Hotelier Mati Weiderpass Booted From Fire Island Gay Club For Supporting Ted Cruz

On Friday, Von Kuersteiner elaborated on the move in a post in the "Free Fire Island" Facebook group:

Good Morning. As many of you know part of the Ascension Weekend has always included events at the commercial properties. When I owned the commercial properties, Ascension rivaled the 4th of July in terms of income for the properties. In addition, homeowners have been able to receive a premium for the rentals because Ascension is considered a Holiday. Again last year it gave a boost of revenue to the downtown. When admission is $60 to go to the Sip N’ Twirl (100% of proceeds is donated to charity) on a Saturday night and the place is packed to maximum capacity (pavilion had no cover and was empty) it should give you an idea of the power of the Ascension Brand and our customers that come for the weekend. Last year we sold out at the T Dance, with the highest ever attendance. I thought that the Boycott would have convinced Ian to do the right thing and sell (he’s had offers since I withdrew mine) unfortunately however he has not. As I would not personally patronize any of his properties, I cannot in good conscience support his businesses with any additional revenue that Ascension brings to the Pines every year.

Ascension brings thousands of gay men to the Fire Island Pines each August. In the party announcement on Facebook, Von Kuersteiner said he hopes this year's move raises the circuit party's profile and attracts "a new, untapped audience."

Check out Von Kuersteiner's full statement below:

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