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!