Anti-vax dating group sues Denver beer garden for canceling singles event

What began as an anti-vaccination dating event has adjourned to a more formal venue — one with a judge, a gavel and considerably less craft beer.

The dispute between Unjected, the anti-vaccination dating app, and Recess Beer Garden continues after Unjected’s founder filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Denver bar on May 27, demanding millions in relief for not allowing the group to hold a singles mixer for those against the COVID-19 vaccine on May 29.

Unjected also opposes “vaccination of any kind,” but the dating event was specifically geared toward those against the COVID-19 shot.

Shelby Hosana, a Hawaii resident who founded Unjected in 2021, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Colorado. She is represented by attorney Mike Yellen, a Hawaii-based paralegal, according to LinkedIn. In 2024, Yellen filed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate civil rights lawsuit against then-President Joe Biden. Hosana was the plaintiff on that lawsuit, as well.

Recess lawsuit

The Recess lawsuit stems back to May 12, when the app posted a flyer on social media for the get-together, calling for singles in the area to meet at the LoHi bar. Hosana later told Westword that the choice of the bar was entirely random and was based on good reviews.

The next day, Recess announced it had canceled the gathering “because the event organizers did not comply with Recess policies for hosting large events and due to the escalating safety concerns surrounding this situation.”

Recess also pointed toward “unacceptable” hostile rhetoric and hateful speech online, including a collection of negative Yelp reviews.

Hosana’s lawsuit claims that Recess acted under the pressure of “third parties who objected to the unvaccinated status of (Hosana’s) community,” leading to the business posting a “false and defamatory statement” that caused financial harm to Unjected.

According to the lawsuit, Recess initially responded to Unjected directly after the party’s announcement, and event organizers were told it could occur as long as there was no filming. After negative reviews and comments from pro-vaxxers, the business backtracked, Hosana claims.

After Recess posted the statement, Unjected said the business had “bent over to the woke mob.”

“They’re trying to make themselves look like they are a non-discriminatory establishment,” Hosana told Westword after the cancellation. “We just wanted to have a peaceful gathering, and we were denied like second-class citizens.”

Ultimately, Hosana is suing the bar and its ownership group for over $4 million each for allegedly violating civil rights laws, acting discriminatory and creating defamation through the press release.

Westword has reached out to Recess and Hosana for comment.

Although class was canceled at Recess, Unjected’s event is back in session at another bar.

The party goes on

According to Unjected, the party will stay in Denver, but at a new location: the Grizzly Rose.

“They tried to cancel us,” Unjected wrote on social media on May 14. “So we collaborated with the largest country dance hall west of the Mississippi. @thegrizzlyrose said yes when everyone else said no — and we will never forget it.”

“We believe in three simple things: the freedom to choose what goes in your body, the right to exist without apology and the right to gather with people who get it,” the group wrote.

Rock band Pecos & the Rooftops are still scheduled to play at the venue, but the dance floor will be open to all vaccinated and unvaccinated public.

So boot sneezin’ boogie on down this Friday evening (if you’re into that kind of thing).

Not the first rodeo

This isn’t the first time Hosana has filed an aggressive lawsuit over vaccinations.

She and Yellen, along with a plethora of other Hawaiian plaintiffs, filed a lawsuit against Biden, Kamala Harris, the U.S. Military, pharmaceutical companies and many, many more parties in 2024. The lawsuit labeled the COVID-19 mandate a “worldwide genocide” and called the vaccine a “weapon of mass destruction.” It also claimed the mandated vaccine for military members and healthcare workers was a violation of civil rights.

Biden never mandated the vaccine for regular civilians, though.

The 114-page complaint also speaks of weather modification causing the 2023 Maui wildfires, chemtrails, “poisonous chemicals” released into the sky and “deadly mosquitoes.” The lawsuit asked for the vaccines, hazardous radio frequencies, poisonous metals and illegal immigration to be stopped — along with a $10 million payment from each listed defendant.

According to public files, that lawsuit is still ongoing but has been narrowed in scope, with the latest appeal filed by Yellen last September.