US: Texas hotels refuse to host anti-gay Ugandan President for investor conference
A number of Texas hotels have turned away the custom of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, over planned protests of his country’s poor gay rights record.
The Ugandan leader is due to visit the US this weekend to meet with key groups of investors in Irving, Texas.
However, after LGBT groups announced plans to protest his presence in the state, a number of hotels refused the leader’s booking.
According to Dallas Voice, the Irving Four Seasons Hotel – which was originally due to host the Ugandan President – pulled out after it became clear that his stay would be protested.
However, the hotel’s Director of Marketing Lance Peters refused to acknowledge the booking ever existed, telling ThinkProgress that due to privacy was rules he “not able to comment on any guest that may or may not be here”.
Meanwhile, the aptly-named Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine revealed that they had had a short-notice booking from Museveni following the cancellation, but also opted to turn him away.
A spokesperson said: “They did inquire about staying, but we’re not able to accommodate them because of the short-term notice and requirements that they had.”
It is unclear whether the leader has since found a separate hotel for his stay.
The author of Uganda’s anti-gay law has given notice that he will reintroduce a revised version during this parliamentary session, after the country’s Constitutional Court struck down the original Anti-Homosexuality Act last month.
The new version of the law is likely to tackle the “promotion” of homosexuality, after President Yoweri Museveni reportedly asked for an amendment to avoid targeting “consenting homosexuals”.
