Uniting Gay Rights and Labor for One of the Best Boycotts Around

by Michael Jones · 2009-09-22 12:52:00 UTC
Topics:

Boycott Manchester Hotel

In January 2008, hotel owner Doug Manchester gave a whopping $125,000 to fuel an anti-gay movement in California that eventually helped organize Prop 8, the ballot initiative that stripped gays and lesbians of their right to marry in the Golden State. As a response -- as well as to draw attention to the embarrassingly bad labor conditions that certain employees working for Manchester face -- LGBT groups and labor groups united to start a boycott of two Manchester properties in San Diego. Those hotels are the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel and the Grand del Mar Resort.

Nearly two years later, this boycott has cost Manchester's properties upwards of $7 million in lost profits. And as it continues forward into its second year, two statewide California groups have come together to renew their call that as long as Manchester supports anti-gay policies and treats his employees with little to no dignity, nobody should patronize the Manchester properties.

Both the Courage Campaign and Equality California have launched SayNoToManchester.org, a Web site meant to galvanize supporters of the Boycott and call out Manchester for some shady tactics. Among those tactics is trying to buy off LGBT organizations with promises of money if they drop their boycott, and trying to divide LGBT activists from labor activists.

But the message that activists are sending is clear.

The LGBT community is united against those who fund bigotry, and we will not allow Doug Manchester to divide our movement. We will not patronize Manchester’s hotels until he makes a public apology for his $125,000 donation to ban same-sex marriage and negotiates an honest, fair resolution with boycott organizers.

A public apology for supporting discrimination. And end to bad labor practices. A commitment not to fund inequality and placate the interests of anti-gay groups who would rather see marriage discrimination instead of equal rights. Yup, that's what it will take to end this boycott. Not briefcases full of cash meant to buy off activists.

If you agree, sign Equality California's and Courage Campaign's pledge here.

(Photo courtesy of UNITE HERE.)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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