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Loading ...Prop 8 hotel boycott to continue despite overture to gays
05.11.2009 4:48pm EDT
(San Diego, California) California LGBT activists are rebuffing a bid by San Diego developer Doug Manchester to end a boycott of two of his hotels in San Diego over his support for Proposition 8, the measure which bans same-sex marriage in California.
Manchester owns the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina.Last year he donated $125,000 to Protect Marriage, the group behind the ballot measure.
A group called Californians Against Hate immediately launched a boycott of Manchester’s properties. The boycott has resulted in several groups canceling conventions at the hotels – costing Manchester’s facility an estimated $2 million.
Among those who bailed out of meeting at the hotel are conventions for the International Foundation of Employee Benefits, the San Diego Board of Realtors, the American Assn. of Law Schools and the California Nurses Association.
Several months ago, The San Diego Union-Tribune reports, with loss of business at the hotels mounting, Manchester sought the help of Los Angeles public relations specialist Howard Bragman, a gay man who married had his partner last year and fought Prop. 8.
Now Manchester wants to donate an equal amount of money – $125,000 – to California LGBT groups in return for an end to the boycott. The money, The Union-Tribune reports, would be used by the groups to hold meetings and fundraisers at his hotels.
Californians Against Hate dismissed the attempted settlement, saying the boycott will continue.
“He is clearly trying to buy his way out of this, and it will not work,” spokesperson Fred Karger told the paper in an e-mail.
“Their proposal is a real slap in the face to the gay community and to all fair-minded people who believe in equality and support full civil rights for all gays and lesbians,” Karger said.
After Prop 8 passed last November, a legal challenge was mounted. The California Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the constitutionality of the vote any day.
I agree, the boycott should continue until marriage equality exists, if the State Judicial Supreme Court over turns Prop 8. I might think a contribution of the same amount to Equality California might be in order to end the boycott.
Amazing that this guy think he can so easily undo the damage he’s done to gays. he has principles, WE have principles.
Continue the boycott. He has done his damage, now it is time for us to do ours. If he and others had contributed to the NO on 8, it may have not passed.
Californian’s against H8 is running the risk of looking like the unreasonable party. Prop 8 supporter makes $125K contribution to marriage equality is a favorable headline, and one we should jump to make happen.
They should however, demand that the money be given in cash to a political organization for marriage equality, not some voucher for free hotel accommodations!
We should come to some kind peace with Manchester hotels, not become their latest in-store promotion.
Its like hiring a hit man to take out someone you don’t like and trying to get away with it by spending an equal amount of money for flowers at the funeral. Too little too late.
Correct choice. Gee, it’s hard learning life’s choices can lead to results.
He put his money publically on the line against us, we can publically take our money away from him.
Good old USA.
This IDIOT thinks we can be bought off? Screw him!
Manchester wants to do what? Donate $125,000 to GLBT groups as long as they hold their functions at his hotel? I don’t think the boycott should ever end, no matter what the outcome of the California Supreme Court decision.
Doug Manchester has told us how he feels about us. He should have done his research to find out how many billions of dollars that gays spend yearly.
Sorry Luke. Continue the boycott. When Prop 8 is overturned, offer to end it when he pays GLBT groups tenfold in punitive damages.
Manchester handed $125k in cash to prop 8 supporters so they could buy ad space for a bunch of lies that stole rights from a minority.
Now, he’s trying to equate a donation of overcharged services at his own hotels, NOT cash to be used any way an LGBT group wants, to make up for it?
That’s like saying, “I’ll give you a backrub to make up for the kidney I stole from you.”
I hope everyone realizes that this means Manchester is hurting. He would not be willing to buy off the GLBT community if the boycott was ineffectual. The only way I would ever consider accepting his offer was if he were to offer a public apology for what he did and then to offer MORE money to the effort to repeal prop 8. I hope the folks in California keep the pressure on him and those like Manchester until equality is restored.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Manchester that rights and equality do not have a price tag attached.
As I’ve said, we all make choices and decisions. He made his choice and decision. Now it is time to live with the consequences.
Sorry Mr. Manchester but I hope that someone tolerant buys your hotels when you go under.
Well I have a trip to California, so I know which hotels to stay away from spending my money. When you go under Manchester don’t let the door hit you on the ass when leaving.
Keep the boycott going!!! He didn’t need gays when he gave his 125,000 dollars,but now he knows how important we actually were to his business. like many anti-gay people, they think we are a minor group that will just go away some day. Thats not going to happen.
It’s ridiculous an individual who invested $125,000 in the Yes on 8 Campaign is now trying to make a deal. $125,000 properly organized could easily have resulted in the 600,000 votes the measure won by.
The Manchester Hotel Boycott should continue unabated even after marriage equality is achieved as a signal nationally and internationally to all other entrepreneurs who market and solicit the LGBT community, while simultaneously using their profits to deny them equal rights. It is akin to apartheid.
As a former Wall St. executive, I’m clear the power of capitalism is one of the most effective ways to achieve societal reform.
Bravo Manchester Boycott, KEEP UP THE FIGHT!