US: Texas hotels refuse to host anti-gay Ugandan President for investor conference
A number of Texas hotels have turned away the customĀ 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 refusedĀ the leader’s booking.
According to Dallas Voice, the IrvingĀ 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’sĀ Director of Marketing Lance Peters refused to acknowledge the bookingĀ ever existed,Ā telling ThinkProgressĀ that due to privacy was rules heĀ “not able to comment on any guest that may or may not be here”.
Meanwhile, the aptly-named Gaylord Texan Resort inĀ Grapevine revealed that they had had aĀ short-notice bookingĀ from Museveni following the cancellation, but also optedĀ to turn him away.
A spokesperson said: “They did inquire about staying, but weāre 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.
TheĀ author of UgandaāsĀ anti-gayĀ lawĀ has given noticeĀ that he will reintroduce a revised versionĀ during this parliamentary session, afterĀ theĀ countryās Constitutional Court struck down the original Anti-Homosexuality Act lastĀ month.
The new version of the law is likely to tackle the āpromotionā of homosexuality, after President Yoweri Museveni reportedly asked for an amendment to avoid targeting āconsenting homosexualsā.
