Gay rights bill 'threatens hotel'

[meegbear]

A hotelier who runs a gay-only guest house has said the government's anti-discrimination bill would be a step backward for gay rights.

The Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs), which are due to come into effect in April, outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Mark Hurst, 47, said the proposed legislation would force him to open his doors to heterosexual guests.He said that may put off many of his gay guests and put him out of business.

Mr Hurst, who runs Guyz hotel in Blackpool with his partner Steve, said: "Rather than improve gay rights, it will make things much worse. We run a gay hotel exclusively for men.

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[Tyo]

1. I don't think this is going to be much of a problem for them

Straights who insist on staying at an obviously gay hotel either aren't all that straight or they will end up being so uncomfortable that they won't hang around very long. If "Guyz" is anything like most of the gay-oriented resorts in Palm Springs it will hold very little attraction for the straight crowd.

[mitchtv]

12. There is however a small group

who have been suing gay establishments for discrimination. Two cases last year that i know of. One Fla the other, Palm Springs. He must think of something.

[Tyo]

13. These idiots have waaay too much time on their hands don't you think?

There is always something. My partner and I got invited to a timeshare presentation with the promise of a $50 Costco gift certificate if agreed to sit through the slide show and the sales pitch. We showed up and it didn't take them long to figure out what we were all about. They said ooops, sorry but it looks like we overbooked the presentation, here's your gift cert, good-bye. I don't know if they thought we'd spook the other attendees or what but they didn't waste any time hustling us out of there. Easiest $50 we ever made. :eyes:

[mitchtv]

14. Hahahaha

don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[MADem]

2. I'm sorry, I cannot get behind his angst. He'd sure pitch a fit if he were

denied service at a Mormon Marriott, now, wouldn't he?

And I would think his heterosexual guests would be well advised to "adapt" to the theme of the hotel. I just don't buy this bit of his complaint, and I agree with the activist who contradicted him:

"Many of them would feel more self-conscious. Many of our guests like to just sit on the settee in the lounge and cuddle up to watch a film.

"They can hold hands and have a little kiss and would behave in a way they may not if they were in a mixed crowd," he said.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said Mr Hurst was making a fuss over nothing.

He said: "I think this is a bit of storm in a teacup.

"Just as there aren't going to be hundreds of gay couples descending on Catholic adoption agencies, I think it's very unlikely there are going to be hundreds of heterosexuals banging on the doors of gay hotels demanding to be let in."



Someone ought to tell that guy that equal rights means equal rights for EVERYONE.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. i'll tell him that right after DADT is removed. ENDA has passed.

And i can get married.

[MADem]

10. Look, he's in the UK, where gays can serve in the military AND get killed in Iraq!

AND their partner can collect the death benefit!!!! Equal rights is alive and well there, and the old "You be mean to me, I'll be mean to you" argument is a lousy one--it's how stalemates stay vital.

Come to Massachusetts, for starters. You can get married in style and be miserable like everyone else! (It's a JOKE...!!). And you won't be discriminated against in employment or health care or the usual rights of married folks either here.

You'll have to wait awhile for DADT, but most military leaders would as soon see it go away. It makes no difference, we know it makes no difference, and so long as people conduct themselves professionally in uniform, be they gay, straight or whatever, there's no effect on good order and discipline. It doesn't matter as to your orientation, if you're fucking the boss that is bad for morale!!

DADT might go by the wayside sooner than we think--the recruitment standards are suffering terribly, and repealing DADT would be one way of upping the quality.

[Scooter24]

9. The hotel might be clothing-optional...

A lot of them are like that.

But I agree, equal rights for everyone.

[MADem]

11. Hey, post a little guidance in the lobby, and put the basic attitude on the website, and

ask people if they've visited before when they call for a reservation, and give them a fast run-down if they seem clueless.

Really, if you checked into a trumpet lover's hotel, you shouldn't be surprised if you hear trumpets all day. And if the heterosexual people don't like the way the place operates, they're free to pack and leave.

I can't see uninterested people racing to check in, myself. One generally vacations in places where one has some sort of affinity.

[damntexdem]

3. They need to be cited for gender discrimination as well.

"To preserve gay rights" they want to be able to discriminate against lesbians as well.

[Ian David]

7. Playing hard-core gay MALE porn in the lobby might keep the lesbians out...

I don't know if lesbians react to penises the same way vampires react to crosses, but at the very least, it will discourage those who are likely to say "Eww" when they see two guys kissing.

Although I really don't know if many lesbians are like that.

I mean, I know a few, but I've never asked them if they feel uncomfortable watching two guys kissing.

My assumption has always been that they do not.

Which really makes me think that:

1) A gay hotel should not feel they really NEED to discriminate against a gender.
2) Anyone-- gay male or lesbian woman-- who feels a "yuck factor" watching the other gender kissing one another really needs to:
a) grow-up.
or
b) find another hotel of their own volition.

As for me, personally, I don't feel a "yuck factor" watching either gender kiss one another-- except for guys with beards.

Guys with beards gross me out no matter WHAT they do with their mouths, be it kissing girls, kissing guys, eating, drinking... whatever.

Beards are yucky.

I want a beard-free hotel of the clean-shaven!

[sui generis]

4. how . . . ironic

still, not a lot of empathy here. If he's a licensed establishment paying payroll taxes . . .

[mondo joe]

5. Tough poo poo.

If discrimination based on orientation is wrong, it's wrong for everyone.

[Ian David]

6. I have a very, VERY simple solution to this problem.

In the lobby of the hotel, and on a big screen right behind the check-in clerk, run a constant stream of hard-core gay porn videos.

And right on top of each television screen, have a big banner that says, "Welcome to {Insert Name Here} Gay Hotel."

Anyone who does not want to be at a gay hotel will leave ON THEIR OWN, without needing to be asked, before their bags are even brought to their room.

And to be extra sure, the hotels should:

1) Put the word "gay" or "homosexual" somewhere in the name of the hotel.
2) Put pictures of gay people cuddling, kissing, and whatnot on the splash page of their website.
3) On the splashpage, there should be a warning that the rest of the site contains "Adult Content" of a "Homosexual Nature," even if the site is actually clean.

All of the above is just meant to scare away the straight people before they get to the reservations section.

Otherwise...

"Mummy... why is that bloke cleaning that other bloke's John Thomas with his mouth?"

"I do believe we are in a homosexual residential establishment. We'll bid them cheerio and a good day."

"Mummy... I'm scared. I'm so scared that my penis is trying to escape from my pants... and it looks like Daddy's penis is, too!"

"I'm sorry, I thought that Love Won Out program worked. My heart says straight, but my penis says, 'I could use a good rogering NOW!' And I had no idea this was a gay hotel when I made our reservations on that website full of pictures of hot-bodied muscular men."