George Clooney On Boycotting Hotels Over Brunei Anti-Gay Death Laws

I was talking about this the other day with someone, and I was wondering what happened to the original boycott. I know I posted about this story back in 2014. The owner of specific Los Angeles hotels is allegedly responsible for some of the worst anti-gay death laws in the world. So when I saw this about George Clooney trending everywhere today I had to post something.

In a guest column for Deadline, Clooney writes about how Brunei, a tiny monarchy rich with oil, on April 3 “will begin stoning and whipping to death any of its citizens that are proved to be gay,” in accordance with a new law. The man behind the anti-gay law in the Southeast Asian country? The Sultan of Brunei, who owns Dorchester Collection hotel group, which owns properties including The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel.

You can read it in full, here.  Clooney made some excellent points.


Mayor Pete Buttigieg Talks About Growing Up Gay

As Pete Buttigieg moves forward in his quest for the presidency, I’m seeing more articles and comments about him everywhere. He seems to be gaining that proverbial momentum and I hope it continues. I think if he were to be the Democratic candidate it would make for an interesting election year. 

In this Mother Jones article he talks about growing up gay in Indiana. I don’t think there’s a gay person on the planet who cannot relate to this. 

“You think there’s something wrong with you,” Buttigieg says of being in the closet in high school. The 37-year-old mayor stands out for being the first openly gay man to run for president from a major party—his husband is a fun Twitter follow. 

Here’s the rest of the piece, and there’s a video. If you haven’t seen Buttigieg in action you really should take the time to do it now. There’s something different about him in a good way. And it’s not just because he’s gay. He reminds me of a good common sense Democrat, the kind we haven’t seen for a very long time. People who read this blog know that I rarely get political and I never make political comments unless I truly believe in something, or someone. 

How To Pronounce Buttigieg

I think a lot of people are wondering about this. I’ve heard Pete Buttigieg’s name mispronounced so many times I can’t even count them. So this article should clear things up.