After lawsuit, venue swap and plenty of drama, ‘Unvaxxed Singles Mixer’ is back in Denver

Remember when an unvaccinated dating app tried to throw a singles mixer in Denver back in May and the whole thing turned into an absolute circus? Well, they’re coming back. And this time, they’re not even telling anyone where it’s happening until you RSVP.

Unjected, the self-described “world’s first unvaccinated platform,” which bills itself as a dating app for people who refused the COVID-19 vaccine and, according to its website, opposes “vaccination of any kind,” announced on Instagram Sunday that it’s returning to Denver in October for round two. “Colorado, you remember us,” the group wrote. “The infamous Colorado Mixer is back.” Founder Shelby Hosana, who’s based in Hawaii, told Westword that the May event was “super successful” and that another Denver stop has been “really requested ever since.” The exact venue won’t be revealed until you RSVP, which is a pretty dramatic shift from last time, and, honestly, kind of understandable given what happened.

Here’s a quick recap for anyone who missed the May drama: Unjected originally announced a free singles mixer at Recess Beer Garden in Denver’s Highland neighborhood on May 29 as the first stop on a four-city tour that also included Nashville, Boise and Portland. The Instagram post promoting it read, “Unvaxxed people are hotter. We don’t make the rules.” Westword covered it. City Cast Denver discussed it. And then the internet did what the internet does. “Went for the singles. Left with the shingles,” wrote one commenter. “Oh nice, Denver’s having its own Darwin Awards ceremony,” wrote another. Recess Beer Garden said it never actually agreed to host the event in the first place and pulled the plug after receiving threats, harassment and what it called “increasingly hostile rhetoric” directed at its staff. Unjected fired back, calling the venue out for caving to “the woke mob” and posted on Instagram: “Denver. May 29th. We are still coming. We just need a new spot. If you know a venue, a backyard, a rooftop, or any space owned by someone who actually believes in freedom of choice, please DM us.” Within hours, Grizzly Rose owner Scott Durland, volunteered his venue. “The Freedom Mixer” went on as planned at one of Denver’s biggest country dance halls, with Pecos & the Rooftops on stage. And then Unjected sued Recess Beer Garden for discrimination, initially seeking over $4 million, claiming the venue had privately agreed to host the event, then reversed course after the backlash. An updated version of the lawsuit, filed on Sept. 14, even named Westword’s original headline, “Shingles Mixer,” as contributing to the controversy. The lawsuit has been assigned a judge but hasn’t moved further through the courts.

Now they’re back for what Westword is calling the “second dose.” No venue name yet. No date beyond “October.” Just an RSVP link and the promise of another evening of mingling, matchmaking and, presumably, very strong opinions about fluoride. Hosana told Westword that no one got sick after the May event and there were no outbreaks, which she shared in a social media post two weeks after the mixer.