Cleve Jones
Posted February 12, 2009 | 03:55 PM (EST)

What Would Harvey Milk Say About President Clinton's Speech at the Manchester Hyatt?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cleve-jones/what-would-harvey-milk-sa_b_166489.html

This Sunday, President Clinton is scheduled to give a paid speech at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego to the annual convention of a major political action committee, the International Franchise Association.

To give this speech, President Clinton will have to violate a union boycott and labor dispute - the workers at the hotel lack job security and the housekeepers face onerous workloads. He will also offend gay and lesbian Americans, including myself - the owner of the hotel, Doug Manchester, contributed $125,000 in early seed money to the Proposition 8 campaign. President Clinton should move this speech.

The Manchester Hyatt Boycott has been on since early July, when a coalition of the gay community and labor movement in San Diego announced its call. Since then, the boycott has been remarkably successful in mobilizing hotel guests and large conventions to support marriage equality and economic justice through their choices as consumers. In a local business paper, Hyatt officials admitted that the boycott has cost the hotel $2.4 million. The real cost is likely much higher. Certainly, the Boycott's implications are deeper.

Have I told anyone lately how much I hate Bill Clinton?