Gay man Bernardo Elbaz jumped to his death off a cruise ship balcony because the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas staff and guests were mean to him, family attorney claims. Attorney Michael Winkleman claims gay slurs prompted Elbaz to jump overboard and but says the 35-year-old man did not commit suicide. The family is considering suing the cruise line over the death. Michael Winkleman previously claimed that Bernardo Elbaz had fallen over the stateroom balcony on his Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas room. The death occurred last Friday around 1 a.m. Before falling overboard and into the water, Elbaz clung to a lifeboat he had landed on after jumping from the balcony, according to videos and photos shared by the Daily Mail.

The attorney representing the Elbaz family claims that the gay man jumped and ultimately fell to his death because he had been “mistreated” by staff and guests. A view from the deceased’s room recorded just moments before he jumps over the balcony, shows Bernardo arguing with Royal Caribbean Cruise staff. Winkleman claims the Oasis of the Seas employees made homophobic comments at Elbaz. “I have a husband, I’m not a pedophile,” Elbaz said before running to the balcony and jumping overboard — with his partner and security guards chasing behind him in what appears to be an effort to stop him.

On Monday, Erik Elbaz, the husband of the deceased, initially claimed his partner did not jump off the balcony. The details of Erik’s account changed on Tuesday after homicide detectives reviewed the video captured on Bernardo’s cell phone. Both Royal Caribbean and law enforcement investigators say Elbaz jumped off the balcony not because of gay slurs or homophobia by staff and guests, but due to a domestic dispute with Erik. “This was not a domestic dispute, this was not a suicide,” Winkleman said during an interview with NBC Miami. “This was an act of protest based on the way that this legally gay, legally married couple was mistreated by Royal Caribbean.”

According to Erik, the two men had dinner together Thursday evening, and then Bernardo went to the bar while he returned to their Oasis of the Seas stateroom. While at the bar, Bernardo said he was taunted by gay slurs and was called a pedophile and “lipstick” by others on the ship. The alleged gay slurs led to some type of physical altercation or fight, according to the maritime attorney representing the family. Bernardo became upset because the incident was not the first time he had been “verbally attacked” on the Royal Caribbean cruise, his husband alleges. The yelling heard by neighboring guests was not part of a domestic dispute, but due to relaying angst over the comments in the bar.

Originally posted by The Unforgiving This is really sad. It should be legal to through your perfume bottles at homophobes. (I still can't believe I wasted a good perfume and got arrested for it )

should just sprayed it on them

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This is really sad, RIP

RIP.

Originally posted by Notorious MINAJ While I feel bad that he had to die like that. He did not need to jump off the ship. He could have waited for it to dock at the next location and got off and went home or something.

Originally posted by that G.U.Y. Stop blaming the victim. The people did noT need to be mean to him. They could have not have harassed him. They could have just respected his life.

This is a very confusing story.

Originally posted by Notorious MINAJ While I feel bad that he had to die like that. He did not need to jump off the ship. He could have waited for it to dock at the next location and got off and went home or something.

It doesn't add up, why did his partner lie about him jumping off to begin with?

When I first heard the story, they said that their room was messed up with furniture thrown everywhere. People initially assumed that the couple was fighting before he jumped off.

They were both intoxicated also. Serving crime story realness