Kelman had heard from her coworkers about the previous year’s celebration: A booze cruise through the harbor with shirtless male dancers and, she had been told, hard drugs. This was “CHESTFest,” an annual bacchanal in honor of the center, which was affiliated with the City University of New York’s Hunter College, where Parsons was, at that time, a 51-year-old distinguished professor of psychology.ĬHESTFest’s reputation preceded it.
What little she knew of Parsons had come from her new colleagues, who had described the director as tempestuous and quick tempered, known to berate subordinates in the middle of the office.īut here, on May 4, 2018, Parsons appeared to be in his element, soaking up the raunchiness of a night that promised lewd humor, a drag-queen emcee, and serious drunkenness.
At the time, Kelman had worked for only a couple of weeks at the Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training, known as CHEST. At the moment, he appeared to be having the time of his life.Īs a tray of liquor shots circulated around the party at the Stonewall Inn, an iconic gay landmark in New York City, Kelman watched while Parsons laughed with his colleagues from the HIV-research lab he directed. Before the night was over, Liz Kelman would have a better idea of who Jeffrey T.
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