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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.
The boycott, must be having the affect that was intended. To end it now would be caving in for a fw pennies. Let him hurt where it hurts him the most. His pocket!
It seems to be a strategy that works, let us not forget it.
Luke,
I disagree with you. Ending the boycott will not end the damage Manchester and his like have caused the gay community. It’s easy to end a boycott, but it’s hard as hell to end a law that was passed by a majority vote.
Besides, Manchester has shown what’s most important to him–money. I dare say he did what he did in the interests of turning a profit with anti-gay patrons. He misjudged the outcome of his bet, and now he’s losing. So, he wants to turn around and try to buy back his lost business by supporting the people he was against last year–and even then, he’s only offering $125k’s worth of use of his hotels, rather than cash that can be used in any way the GLBT community sees fit. He has no conviction.
I honestly don’t know what pisses me off more about him…that he supported anti-gay legislation, or that he only did it seemingly in the interest of profiting from it (which has thankfully backlashed).
He needs to see just how much being anti-gay doesn’t pay. The boycott should continue.
If he truly wants to feel the everyday pain we feel with the passage of Prop 8, he will get divorced and will vow not to get married until gays and lesbians are allowed to legally marry in California. He can get “civilly unionized,” however, since, according to the side he funded, that is the same thing as marriage anyway.
If he is sincere, he needs to donate a lot more than that, and needs to publicly go against Prop 8 and apologize to the LGBT community. He obviously did not get the memo that gays have the largest disposable income in America, and the loss of over $2 million to his shareholders is evidence of that.
Absolutely keep the boycott ON! Let’s see how we feels AFTER we have Marriage Equality. Then perhaps if he offered his place for marriages… MAYBE we could make a deal!!
Pity, I’m a Marriott queen after all. I thoght only the Hyatt was his. Ah well, keep up the good fight.
I am always amazed by the fact that the ONLY thing that gets these folks attention after they make a bad decision, is to hit them in the wallet! come on now, a little bit of thought BEFORE the decision was made would have gone a long way in this situation!!
He’s not even trying to buy-back with real money! A $125,000 “store credit” for meetings in his hotels is NOT the same thing as writing a check for $125,000 cash, unless he runs a zero-profit operation.
The irony in all of this is really fascinating.
Manchester: “Let’s make a deal!”
CAH: “Umm, Oh no you di’nt.”
I love how his “donation” would need to be used at his hotels. Um, I think that’s called a coupon, not a donation. There are plenty of other great hotels I’m sure will be happy to put out the rainbow flag.
Momma used to say “honey you are a day late and a dollar short!”
You couldn’t PAY me or give me “Free” room to stay in any of his hotels now!
Actually, you can’t give me a free trip to San Diego or even Cali now, I am still feeling the BURN and the Pain that they caused to me and my family.
He and many others who are crying and wanting us to spend our money in their businesses should have thought about it before. I mean come on, the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourist Industry and He doesn’t know or have any LGBT employees? Really?
I have money and I’m just letting it sit in the bank, they can all go to you know where! I am looking at a very extensive trip, shopping, etc up in New England. Will also go back to European countries and spend my money as well. It’s really just that simple!
No sympathy for Manchester, NONE.
Now that he is feeling it in the pocketbook, he is trying to BUY his way out of his massive screw-up.
I hope he goes down in flames, and his hotels are purchased by a gay person or group.
He DESERVES his pain and I am delighted he is GETTING it.
But Doug Manchester is a wonderful man! Just ask him!
http://www.papadougmanchester.com/
Blech….
“Okay, Doug Manchester…but first, to show you’re serious, you’ll have to…SUCK MY COCK!”
Not only do I think this boycott should continue but anyone doing business with this business…should be boycotted as well. Let this be a lesson to all others.