SDCC hotel boycott - re: anti-gay marriage donation

[rm]

Considering that most of my friends going to ComicCon fall into at least one of the following categories:

- queer
- for equal rights (actually, if you are my friend and this is not the case, could you check in about this so we can reassess what fucking planet we're both living on, thnx).
- slashers
- Torchwood fans

I think you should know the following:

The Manchester Grand Hyatt is one of the most popular and expensive hotels for people going to SDCC because of its prime location. It's owned by Doug Manchester who just "donated $125,000 to help get Proposition 8, a measure that could amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, on the ballot" in California.

The article is here: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57778.asp

Other hotels are here: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_hotel.shtml

This infuriates me.

I'm not at SDCC (I was invited to be a guest) because my partner is coming home after being on a dig for 9 weeks. And I'm sad about not being at SDCC because of the love the oh so queer Torchwood is getting at the con. So seriously people, I know SDCC hotel space is at a premium and then some. But if you're booked in there, please consider doing the right thing and bring your business elsewhere (difficult at this late date -- considering piling into a room at another venue with friends or look at redstapler's suggestions in comments) or make an offset donation.

(And wow, I hope none of the guests are booked in there, although maybe if they decide to make a statement about it, that would rock.)


via bethbethbeth

Comments

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

It is way, way too late to rebook rooms, but I've heard some lovely and creative ways of sticking it to Manchester anyhow.

My favorites include:
-Not going to the bar at all. (The Grand Hyatt's two very large bars are where most of the industry folks descend in the evenings. It's usually eight deep at the bar with writers, artists, executives, etc.)

-Going, but paying entirely by cash which has been written, drawn, or stamped with some sort of LGBT message, so that they know where their money is coming form.

-Going, but drinking only water or alcohol from flasks and tipping the waitstaff heavily, because hey, it's not their fault their employer is a douchebag.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I figure off-set donations, the stuff you list and people just piling into other rooms elsewhere with friends are probably the only answers (and odds are people will grab up the empty rooms anyway, which sucks. -- how badly do I want to find out that some of the TW peeps got booked in there are then making major noise about it?)

here via hllangel:

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

Sadly you have to be careful about piling into the rooms. Most hotels have a four person per room policy going. While some might be stricter than others, I've heard of several that have stated they will take action if that rule is broken.

That said if a female torchwood_fen is at the Hyatt and desperately needs a new place else to stay; drop me a comment (we're at the holiday inn express downtown)

[rm.livejournal.com]

I've made a post to torch_wood about it and hope the mods will let it through. I've included your suggestions here with credit.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

::hat tip::

Thank you, kindly.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Scroll down for magnetgirl's comment.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Just saw it, that's excellent.

FWIW, this information has been on the comics blogs since yesterday. I got most of my suggestions from this post on The Beat.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Excellent. Most of the LJ folks I know are there for the TV and book content, so I don't know if it's been circulated outside of the comics folks. So it may not be news anywhere else, but it's news on LJ still.

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

Ahh, point.

I often forget that people don't like the Stones and the Beatles like I do!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Peter is at the Hilton Gas Light but I do think this need to get out to the wider audience who have the ability (if not this year but the next) to vote with their wallets.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I've just posted it to the big Torchwood community, and I'm hoping the mods let it through.

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Me too.

The business community have no idea how big a group they are messing with.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Disney corp figured that out, the rest should profit by their example.
If they did, then they would be stomping all over the Religious Right themselves.

[rihani.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, I'm staying with a friend. But yeah, there's pretty much no hope of getting a room elsewhere that weekend now, hotels have been booked in advance for months.

I like the offset donation idea just 'cause it's always good to donate, but I also rather like some of redstapler's suggestions.

I love how he whines that the protests are all just to make his hotel unionized too. Right. And this little gem:

Manchester cited an alleged instance in the Bay Area in which a teacher was punished for saying marriage should be a union between a man and a woman, but that incident couldn't be confirmed. "If there was a guarantee that someone could exercise their own beliefs without being penalized," Manchester said, "then I wouldn't have any objection to [same-sex marriage].

Um... wtf dude? Really. Wow, the mind, it boggles.

[magnetgirl.livejournal.com]

One of my friends happens to be the treasurer for the SDCC, I'm going to email this information to him.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Fantastic.

[magnetgirl.livejournal.com]

Done. Let you know what he says.

[magnetgirl.livejournal.com]

Here's what he had to say:

"How do I feel? I hate it. I’ve known awhile, and I think he’s a total douchebag.
The way hotels are though, hard to exclude the Grand Hyatt. Completely impossible actually. I also hate the fact that we let Scientology have a booth to spread their cancerous nonsense.
I also struggle with the constitutional issues. Yeah, if I wanted to, I could kick the freaking Scientologists out, ban the hyatt, etc… but free speech is free speech. Do I become the douchebag if I ban em just because I think they’re fear mongering, profit motivated inbred asshats?

Ain’t life grand?"

I responded asking if he had any advice aside from protesting on how people attending could make some of this stuff known? What forums or avenues to pursue to get the word out so that even if it doesn't help bookings for this year, it could affect next year. We'll see what he says.

I think someone should start up a grassroots group at the con with information, like: NFRAG for LGBT (Nerds, Fanboys/girls, Roleplayers and Geeks/Gamers for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender)! I'd buy that shirt. I bet others would too just for the BSG reference ;)

[nobodyreally.livejournal.com]

I think you should all go by the Scientology booth and treat it like it's a new TV show about some weird aliens. Fiction, of course.

[hllangel]

I've had my hotel for SDCC booked for months now, and I'm happy to say it's NOT the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Not that I could afford it anyway. Thanks for the info.

[hllangel]

Also, you should post at the actual CC community on LJ:

http://community.livejournal.com/sd_comic_con/

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Makes me glad I'm on a boat, if I get down there...

Is this Doug Manchester person the owner of the entire Hyatt chain, or just that particular hotel? I ask 'cos a couple of Bay-Area conventions I like happen at a Hyatt, but I'd be willing to move my hotel booking to an adjacent venue if need be...

[rm.livejournal.com]

He owns two properties, so the problem isn't teh Hyatt chain as a whole just the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Grand Del Mar.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

Righty-o. Do you mind if I cut-and-paste a chunk of your entry, with credit, of course?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Go right ahead.

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

(Here via fandom_lounge on JournalFen.)

If you're staying at the marina behind the Convention Center, that's also owned by the Hyatt.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm not entirely sure *where* the houseboat is tied up... all I know is that my friend who's putting me up paid for with a bunch of timeshare points from hs family.

Short of sleeping on the street, unfortunately, I don't have any alternatives...

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's not a lot of housing options during ComicCon.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

An information picket around the Manchester Grand Hyatt would be good, as a first measure.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

And the Grand Del Mar.

[bravencrazy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this information. I will post it in my LJ and also forward it on Facebook, etc.