George Clooney wrote an op-ed piece the other day to announce a boycott of the Sultan of Brunei’s hotels over cruel anti-gay laws in the country. Now, Elton John is speaking out to comment the Oscar-winning star for his stance.
The hotels in the boycott include the Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air, and the Dorchester Hotel in London.
“I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right. Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect – as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world,” Elton said in a statement.
“Discrimination on the basis of sexuality is plain wrong and has no place in any society. That’s why I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand and calling out the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry now being enshrined in law in the nation of Brunei, a place where gay people are brutalized or worse. As George has said, the Sultan of Brunei owns many luxury hotels around the world – hotels which David and I have found it impossible to visit since the Sultan’s plan to push for shar’ia law in Brunei became public. Our hearts go out to the good, hardworking employees of these properties, many of whom we know to be gay,” the statement continued.
He concluded, “We recognize that sovereign countries will make decisions for their own citizens. But we feel we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable. We must never underestimate the power of our voices – and our actions – to spark the change we need to see.”
Source: justjared.com