Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, an organization (apparently run by one man, Peter LaBarbera) dedicated to fighting the “homosexual agenda,” is claiming something it hasn’t been able to do for some time: a victory over the gay menace. AFTAH has announced that the downtown Washington, D.C., hotel has cancelled a ’pig sex orgy’ scheduled during Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, this weekend (Jan. 16).

“This is a great victory for truth, decency and public health!” LaBarbera wrote on his website. “Americans For Truth is vindicated (lies coming from the hotel had many people confused). A big ’Thanks’ to each of you who called the Doubletree and its parent company, Hilton Hotels, urging them to not allow this unbelievably depraved and unhealthy homosexual event to occur in public conference rooms at the Doubletree, a luxurious hotel just blocks from the White House.”

The contretemps began with the ultra-rightwing “news” site World Net Daily “breaking” the story that a private group of men–unaffiliated with MAL–was planning a private, invitation-only event at the Doubletree, which located at 1515 Rhode Island Avenue NW. The invite, which LaBarbera claimed was emailed to him by a plant in the gay world, told respondents to “go to the Second Floor, which is where all the Convention Rooms are.”

Gay men may be familiar with private hotel parties taking place during such gatherings (whether they admit it not). These are usually spread through email and other private communication, and take place in private hotel suites. But World Net Daily and LaBarbera took the email to signify that somehow the “orgy” would take place in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms.

LaBarbera said he had contacted the Doubletree’s sales director, who confirmed the lease to a group with the name on the email. The employee also told him that he hadn’t heard of any sex parties. He said such events could not be held in the hotel’s conference rooms, because they are a “public space,” LaBarbera said. See DC Hotel, Under Pressure, Cancels ’Pig Sex’ Party EDGE Boston

“Urban Outfitters landed in some hot water earlier this week when consumers started to question company standards after an “I Support Same-Sex Marriage” T-shirt mysteriously vanished off shelves in California. Yesterday, Urban Outfitters reached out to us to comment on the situation: “The T-shirt was pulled because it was not selling,” a spokesperson for the company told us. “This is a common practice because sales space is so valuable, especially in this challenging economic climate.” See, the trickle-down effect of the economy? T-shirt sales are suffering, people! “The move was in no way indicative of a political agenda or our personal beliefs. In retrospect we wish that we had held onto it as a show of support.” That said, don’t expect them to balance the situation by returning the shirt to shelves. “We wouldn’t bring back the same T-shirt because it didn’t sell well. But the head merchant is open to finding other products that support gay marriage and carry the same message but will be more popular with our customers.”

“Meanwhile, the spokesperson also confirmed what our commenters speculated: Glen Senk, the CEO of the parent company, Urban Outfitters, Inc., is an openly gay man who has been in a committed relationship for over 30 years. However, Richard Hayne is still the founder and current chairman and does indeed have a record for supporting right-wing Republicans who are against abortion and gay rights. Lest we get cynical and think Senk was appointed to divert attention from Hayne, let’s hope instead that he got the job based on his merits and that maybe, just maybe, Hayne has changed his views a little. We can hope, right?”

Photo: Courtesy of Support Shirts

See Urban Outfitters responds to gay T-shirt controversy
New York Magazine