something for slashfen and manlove readers to think about

[julesjones]

If anyone's thinking of using a Hyatt for a slash-friendly, m/m romance-friendly or queer-friendly con, they might want to think again. The Manlove group of gay romance authors ran into serious problems at last week's Romantic Times con, initiated by the hotel but aided and abetted by the con organisers, who were very happy to take the group's money for membership but did nothing to stop the hotel customer service manager confiscating all their promo material because he didn't like the gay content. More details here:

http://sensualwriter.blogspot.com/2007/05/rthyatt-author-targeted.html

[ETA: l_prieto has posted the poster deemed too risque, and examples of some of the het material that *wasn't* removed -- compare and contrast...]

Comments

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I just checked the HRC buying guide and the Hyatt chain scores 100 out of 100 for gay friendly, so I suspect this could be a Houston thing more than a Hyatt thing.

Though I will also note that there can be a disconnect between corporate policy and actual corporate action. Witness American Airlines which threatened a gay couple with jail for causing a 'disturbance' by one giving the other a peck on the cheek even though they are a HRC partner.

So I don't know.

[julesjones]

There's more discussion about it here:
http://eroticjames.livejournal.com/99695.html

It looks as if some people are writing to Hyatt head office to let them know about this incident. The response should be interesting.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

That's awful behaviour by the con people in particular, who should have (a) made sure the hotel knew what to expect and (b) supported their author.

[julesjones]

The con is organised by people who have been less than supportive to m/m romance in the past. For values of "less than supportive" that have included taking money for advertising that is supposed to include a review of the book in the magazine, and then refusing to review the book because it has m/m content. (I'm not entirely unbiased about this, as my publisher's three page ad last year to promote its new print line included all of its initial print offerings -- including this one.) They were probably delighted that the hotel removed the material.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Makes me wish I was American, so I could write to them with my con-runners hat explaining why I would never hold an event there.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

You could still do so.

I'm always pleased that your conventions' websites' hotel-booking pages state deliberately and explicitly that you don't discriminate against same-sex couples, and I always fondly imagine that this is wording that you've cleared with the hotel concerned.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

We don't need to clear it with the hotel, as it would violate UK law in any case if the hotel discriminated.

It's there mainly to reassure people. I remember one Lesbian couple that I knew personally who had booked a twin room once Redemption - I said to one of them "Why a twin, rather than a double?". She said that they'd had problems when staying in Blackpool when a landlady had refused to give them a double. I told her that we would refuse to use any hotel that acted in such a manner - and I'm pleased to say that none of our hotels ever have. (We would scream blue murder if a hotel tried such a stunt!)

[watervole.livejournal.com]

IF you can find me a suitable address to complain to, I'll send them a note. After all, Hyatt do have conference hotels in the UK as well, so I guess I can claim a legitimate concern.

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

Hyatt is international. Write, complain.

If it were me I'd have been on the phone to the ACLU before RT had ended.

emily veinglory

[(Anonymous)]

I sent in my complaint to the email they provide on their pro-diversity page at the main website.