At a press conference
last Friday,
GLBT activists and
union leaders marked the one-year anniversary of the Manchester Hyatt
Boycott, launched last year in response to
hotel owner Doug Manchester’s $125,000 contribution to qualify Proposition 8 for the ballot.
“For over a year we have urged San Diegans,
Californians and Americans to
boycott the Manchester Hyatt because of Manchester’s contribution to Proposition 8 and onerous
workloads for the hotel’s
housekeepers,” said
Cleve Jones, a national
gay leader and former aid to slain
San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. “The hotel’s own
people have admitted to losing over $7 million in business due to the
boycott. This
boycott has truly shown the power of our reenergized community and the alliance between the
gay community and labor.”
Proposition 8 eliminated the right of same-
sex couples to marry in California.
Boycott organizers also committed to continue the
boycott and expand its scope.
“One of our
goals for the next year will be to take the
boycott to the next level – global,” said
Fred Karger, founder of
Californians Against Hate. “We will ask
travel planners and tour operators throughout the world not to
book meetings and room nights at the Manchester properties. We will put up a virtual bright
yellow caution tape around Manchester’s
hotels, and ask
people not to cross it.”
The
boycott has drawn increasing
media attention and picked up
steam since it began. Early on, several
groups announced that they would move or cancel
events at the hotel. Recently, the American Association of Justice, a trial
lawyers group moved its entire convention out of the Manchester Hyatt to
San Francisco to honor the
boycott. At a recent
gay and
lesbian travel exposition, a hotel
spokesperson confirmed that the
boycott has cost the hotel more than $7 million.
At the
July 17 press conference,
organizers unveiled more than just a
new approach. They came with a new logo and visual aid – bright
yellow caution tape reading “Do not cross. Do not support
bigotry and
discrimination.”
Organizers say the caution tape is intended as a reminder for individuals throughout the country not to patronize the hotel.
“We want to send a very
simple message to all those planning to travel to
San Diego that the Manchester Hyatt
Boycott is on and stronger than ever,” said
Human Relations Commissioner, Nicole Murray-Ramirez. “The
unions, hotel workers and
gay community started this fight together and we intend to finish it together.”
See Gay activists and union leaders commit to year two of Hyatt Boycott
Gay and Lesbian Times
* Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
Tags:
Act,
Acti,
Activist,
Activists,
Adm,
Ads,
Ali,
Amp,
Anc,
Ba,
Bia,
Bigot,
Bigotry,
Bisexual,
Blog,
Blogger,
Blogs,
Bod,
Book Meetings,
Border,
Boycott,
Brig,
Cal,
Cali,
Californ,
Californians,
Cleve Jones,
Conference Organizers,
Confi,
Coord,
Cop,
Cou,
Coupl,
Couples,
Cr,
Discrimination,
Dp,
Ego,
Era,
Eric,
Erica,
Eve,
events,
Expos,
Fir,
Fo,
Fr,
Fred Karger,
gay,
Gay Activist,
Gay Activists,
Gay And Lesbian,
Gay Community,
Gay Leader,
gay men,
Gay New,
Gay News,
Gin,
Glbt,
Goals,
google,
Grou,
Groups,
harvey milk,
Hes,
Hot,
Hotel Owner,
Hotels,
Housekeepers,
Human Relations,
Human Relations Commission,
Images,
Ins,
July 1,
July 17,
Kar,
Last Friday,
Launch,
Lawyer,
Lawyers,
Ld,
Lea,
Lead,
Leads,
Led,
lesbian,
Lesbian News,
Lesbian Travel,
Lot,
Lt,
Map,
Marr,
Media Attention,
Milk,
Mis,
Mp,
Mu,
N News,
Nbsp,
New Approach,
Organize,
Organizer,
Organizers,
Original Source,
Ouse,
Pac,
Patron,
Peop,
People,
Pi,
Picke,
Pl,
Pos,
Pot,
Rea,
Rig,
Roun,
Rr,
Sage,
Same Sex Couples,
San Diego,
San F,
San Francisco,
San Francisco Supervisor,
sex,
Sex Couple,
Sex Couples,
Shap,
Sig,
Simple Message,
Sin,
Sit,
Sourc,
Span,
Spe,
Spokesperson,
Ssa,
Steam,
Supervisor,
Supervisor Harvey Milk,
Tag,
Target,
Ted,
Tent,
Ties,
Tou,
Transgender,
Travel Planners,
Trial Lawyer,
Trial Lawyers,
Uni,
Union Leader,
Union Leaders,
Unions,
Ups,
Urge,
Url,
Verd,
Vet,
Wit,
Wor,
Workloads,
Wou,
Yellow Caution Tape
This video will break your heart.
And Ken Starr is to blame.
Yes, THAT Ken Starr. The prosecutor who led the campaign to impeach President Bill Clinton has filed a legal brief — on behalf of the “Yes on 8″ campaign — that would forcibly divorce the 18,000 same-sex couples married in California last year before the passage of Prop 8.
News broke Tuesday that the state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 5, and will then make a decision within 90 days on the validity of Prop 8 and these 18,000 marriages.
When Starr’s legal brief went public in December, the Courage Campaign immediately launched the “Don’t Divorce…” campaign, asking our members to send us pictures with a simple message for Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund.
Those pictures, and the heartfelt messages on them, inspired blogger Paul Delehanty (also known as “kid oakland”) to send us a suggestion: Would Regina Spektor allow us to put your pictures to the words and music of her hit song “Fidelity”? So, we asked her and she said yes, very enthusiastically.
Regina Spektor’s song, in concert with your pictures, shines a beautiful light on the 18,000 couples that Ken Starr wants to forcibly divorce.
Click here to watch “Fidelity,” the heartbreaking music video inspired by your pictures and words, and then tell the Supreme Court not to divorce 18,000 California couples. Tell the Court to invalidate Prop 8, reject Ken Starr’s case, and let loving, committed couples marry. DEADLINE: Valentine’s Day:
Everyone who cares about marriage equality needs to spread the word that this isn’t just a court case.
The lives of your spouses, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers and your family members hang in the balance.
Please watch this video and then, if you feel as we do, please share it with your friends. The more people that see this video, the more people will understand the pain caused by Prop 8 and Ken Starr’s shameful legal proceeding:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/Divorce
Thank you to the amazing people who sent us these wonderful pictures. Thank you to Paul for his inspired idea and Regina for her beautiful song. And thank you for taking action to support the love of 18,000 couples across California.
Rick Jacobs
Chair
…………..
Courage Campaign Issues is part of the Courage Campaign’s online organizing network that empowers nearly 400,000 grassroots and netroots activists to push for progressive change in California.
Tags:
Act,
Activist,
Activists,
Ally,
Amp,
Anc,
Beautiful Light,
Blogger,
Cal,
California Couples,
Cib,
Co Workers,
Coord,
Cou,
Coupl,
Couples,
Courage,
Court Case,
Dea,
Divorce,
Equality,
Eve,
Family Members,
Fo,
Fr,
gay,
google,
Grassroots,
Hbo,
Heartbreak,
Heartfelt Messages,
Images,
Impeach President,
Ins,
Ken Starr,
Lead,
Leads,
Led,
Legal Brief,
Legal Proceeding,
love,
Lt,
Map,
Marr,
marriage,
Marriage Equality,
Members,
Mp,
Mpa,
music,
Nbsp,
Neighbors,
Oral Argument,
Oral Arguments,
Original Source,
Pac,
People,
Pl,
Plea,
Pos,
president,
President Bill Clinton,
Regina Spektor,
Rick Jacobs,
S Song,
Same Sex Couples,
Sec,
sex,
Sex Couple,
Sex Couples,
Shame,
Simple Message,
State Supreme Court,
Suggestion,
Supreme Court,
Target,
Ted,
Valentine S Day,
Validity,
Words And Music
