Brunei has implemented “stoning to death” under LGBTQ laws, showing the acute worldwide risk of “traveling while LGBTQ” for men, women, and gender non-conforming people.
The UN Human Rights Commission has condemned the new measures, and celebs like Elton John, George Clooneyand Ellen DeGeneres are calling for boycotts of the Brunei Sultan’s Dorchester Collection hotel group, which includes properties like The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel.
But this isn't a new or isolated issue. Homosexuality has been consistently illegal in a third of the world - and in 8 countries, it is also punishable by death.
Just staying at hotels is dangerous. Around the world, gay or trans travelers are often rejected or forced to hide their identities, book separate rooms or separate beds. The only solutions available to them are third-party, unverified, user-generated reviews.
misterb&b - a short term home sharing marketplace dedicated to the Gay community- has just launched a new feature in the fight against homophobic and transphobic hotels.
The feature includes 30,000 curated gay-friendly, non-discriminatory hotels that have been hand-selected by its editorial team, with quality, exclusive, and verified reviews from LGBTQ travelers, making the company the only way to travel safely in 135+ countries while gay.
What’s more, it’s decided to boycott and ban all hotels owned by the Brunei Sultan from its platform.
These include "The Sultan's 10":
- Beverly Hills hotel / Los Angeles
- Hotel Bel-Air / Los Angeles
- The Dorcester / London
- 45 Park Lane / London
- Coworth Park / Ascot (UK)
- Le Meurice / Paris
- Hotel Plaza Athenee / Paris
- Le Richemond / Geneve
- Hotel Principe di Savoia / Milan
- Hotel Eden / Rome
The Brunei-owned luxury hotels facing an international boycott have hidden their social media accounts after backlash over laws in the country were enacted this week making gay sex punishable by death. The hotels, which are operated under the Dorchester Collection brand, have faced a celebrity-led international boycott after implementing the new laws.
The boycott was sparked last week in an opinion piece by actor George Clooney, who said a boycott of the high-end hotels is necessary to keep money from flowing "directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery."
