Gay Power Players Ditch Bev. Hills Hotel Over Antigay Owner

The OutGiving conference, a $1,750 a seat conference organized by the LGBT fundraising group Gill Action Fund, is asking for their deposit back from the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they planned to have a May event.

The "Winning the Heartland" conference was planned for May 1-4 at the opulent pink palace on Sunset Boulevard. But after the Washington Blade recently brought up the ironic fact that the hotel is owned by the Sultan of Brunei (real name=Hassanal Bolkiah), a man who recently instituted a policy of stoning gay people to death in his tiny Asian nation, OutGiving said they were finding a new venue.

"In light of the horrific anti-gay policy approved by the Government of Brunei, Gill Action made the decision earlier today to relocate its conference from the Beverly Hills Hotel to another property," Kirk Fordham, Gill's executive director, told the Blade on Thursday. "We are seeking a return of all deposits."

Even before the new stoning law, which was condemned by the United Nations, Brunei was a vehemently antigay country that threw people in jail for up to 10 years over gay acts. Activists have long known of Brunei's stances — a group called Dump the Beverly Hills Hotel encourages all to boycott the property because of its hateful owner. Watch their (kind of bizarre) video below.