This is what is referred to as Customer Service in America, is it?

[erastes]

I belong, as you probably know, to an advertising consortium called ManLoveRomance which is a group of 50 M/M writers who club together, share expenses. It means that we can, as a group, afford to put adverts in glossy magazines and attend conferences as a Group whereas one person in the UK for example has little hope of every being able to afford a table at Romantic Times or Saints and Sinners.

So this year, Laura  - our founder and rugged leader attended the Romantic Times conference, for the first time representing the group.  Read how badly she was treated by the Hyatt here. 

I'm just disgusted at this.  I'm not surprised, however.  RT have clearly given the impression that they are utter homophobes already - and although they "denied involvement" they did nothing to support someone who had spent a FORTUNE to get there. Money I can't imagine I'd ever have free to be able to attend something like that.  Not that I will, EVER - until they get their bigotted arses in gear.

I personally will be writing to the Hyatt asking them for an apology - not that I'll get one. I've just checked my records and this particular event didn't cost me anything, but other conferences have done/will do. But they DID damage our advertising profile by STEALING our promotional material.

As for exposure however, it caused more attention to genre than it would have done without the stuff being stolen, so in that way, the Hyatt shot themselves in the foot.  Way to go, Hyatt.

Comments

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

That is unbelievably shitty.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Too right. I'm not letting it rest here. I don't care if Romantic Times black list me forever, I'll never be beholden to THEM for any success I may have in life.

[rmanley.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read the blog at work (ssshhh!). I'm no longer a member of Manloveromance, but I wasn't any less pissed. I've participated in many of the promo ops, and I know it ain't cheap to accomplish the group's goal.

And this shit's just plain wrong, membership or no.

I'm glad that she spread the word and received a lot of support from other RT attendees. Hopefully this incident gets spread far and wide online via blogs. RT's got a lot to answer for.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

As far as advertising within the members of the RT goes, then it did well, but it removed the eye catching value of the promitional items completely.

I wish I didn't get so wound up about this stuff, but I just do. My mother taught me too well to never let an injustic lie, even if you can't change it.

[sabethea.livejournal.com]

That's outrageous. I've just read through that post and quite honestly, kudos to Laura, who seems to have behaved like a reasonable adult at all times despite huge provocation from other so-called adults.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

She behaved amazingly - I can't imagine what I would have done in her place. Probably turned in a mad Donald Duck...

[irreparable.livejournal.com]

That is terrible. Promoting your own work in any form is not an easy gig and it's generally done at a financial loss. The Hyatt person was ridiculously rude. I'm appalled. My man love lick icon would probably give him a coronary.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It certainly would. So much for their proud boast to be "diverse"

http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/about/diversity/index.jsp

[catsintheattic.livejournal.com]

This is such a shame! I'm angry beyond words.

Aside from the loss of money, what shocks me most is that Laura was treated in such a disrespectful way. It really makes me want to hit those managers over the head!

The only good thing was the support she got from the rest of the conference.

I hope that one day, people will be able to see sexual preferences (and erotic literature) in the same way they perceive hair colours. As long as you like yours, don't bother with mine. Still a long way to go, eh?

[erastes.livejournal.com]

yes, she got a lot of support and consequently more advertising withing the community than she would otherwise have got.

It will come, but it needs people to be bolshie, which i'm very happy to do!

[katjak.livejournal.com]

Awful that something like this can happen.

It's always a nameless "boss" who is behind shit like this, isn't it? Nicely breaks the chain of responsibility.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh this was RT's fault, really, I have no doubt of it.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

Outrageous. I suggested in Laura's blog that she might want to contact GLAD (the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) to see if they'd be interested in adding their voice to her complaint.

I don't frequent the Hyatt, but now I NEVER will, and I think I'll write corporate and tell them why.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Good suggestion - i'll check them out, too.

[ejab62.livejournal.com]

What a load of rubbish. Can't say i am that surprised, though. Americans and gay = very, very uncomfortable. Understatement. Double standards. Still.
The public service man was just plain rude. I mean, you may not agree with something but that still is no excuse to ignore basic manners!

In the end they did you all a favour - you got so much publicity!

*Headdesk*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's almost inconcievable from our pov isn't it?

[schmoo999.livejournal.com]

This horrible but I have to say I am not surprised this happened in Texas. The city of Austin is the only sane liberal open minded spot in the whole state.

I hope she keeps making a stink about this..make it loud...and also? I have read Stephanie Burke's romance novels and I will go buy some more of hers just cause she stepped up and helped Laura to promote you guys:)

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I wonder at the location - I try not to be paranoid, but perhaps that RT, who are already ANTI GAY did it deliberately.

I don't know.

And yes, I agree, good for Ms Burke. Good for all the hetters who supported us.

grrrrr

[girluknow.livejournal.com]

When you email RT, make sure you CC in the president and all her little underlings. I told them I wouldn't darken their door again or buy their (usually pretty lame, anyway) magazines until they publicly apologized to Laura and vowed never to pull this kind of crap again.

Living in Houston, I see this kind of thing on a daily basis. A new shopping center nearby was done in Italian design including beautiful reproductions of sculptures such as David. One woman (*one* woman) complained about David's nakedness and the center had someone come in and desecrate the statue by covering the penis with a fig leaf. I kid you not.

So you can just imagine the attitudes here toward homosexuality. Very Dark Ages and depressing. (Thank God the internet shows me signs of understanding and humanity existing in other parts of the world.) While we are making some progress (a recent effort on the part of the Christianists to ban library books that "promote a gay lifestyle" didn't get anywhere, thanks to the efforts of a few vocal liberals and moderates), we are still far behind, even by pathetic American standards.

I know it doesn't seem like complaint letters get you anywhere, but they're necessary. A million small things can add up to one big thing that pushes us another baby step forward toward a better, saner world.
It's worth the time and effort.
Thanks so much for posting about it.

Re: grrrrr

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

ehm, sorry, can I say something? Someone has cover the penis of a reproduction of David's sculpture? Does that woman know that such things happened centuries ago? Not in the XXI century!!! Us an Italian I'm really offended by that... if they don't want to see the David's penis, they mustn't see David at all. BTW Michelangelo was gay, so maybe this thing is a prove that nothing has changed in 5 hundreds years...

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of not-so-subtle homophobia in the US. Lance the Boil, aka Lance Barnes of customer disservice, is just the most visible wart.

I think any member of ManLove has the right to complain--because the general promo was for the website, which means all of us.

From the Hyatt website: This is the email customer-service feedback site for the Hyatt.

http://www.hyatt. com/hyatt/ customer- service/email- stayfeedback. jsp

This is their phone number
To contact Hyatt Consumer Affairs, call 800.323.7249

The thing is, there's more than one Hyatt in Houston and I don't know which one this was.

What's incredibly heartening about this incident is that, as with the Imus disgrace, other people who weren't targets themselves were standing up for Laura and putting m/m stuff out on their own tables to show support.

It may be that ordinary people in this country are getting tired of hypocrites and liars trying to tell everyone how to live and what to believe. Can't happen soon enough.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I was amazed when I looked at The Age of Consent

http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm

to see how many states have "invalidated" rather than repealed.

Perhaps people need to make sure these laws get CHANGED.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

I'm relieved to see the focus on the behavior of staff at the Hyatt, instead of blaming the city of Houston.

Too bad the conference is too large to be held in the Montrose neighborhood, Houston's alternative/boho/quasi-Berkeley region.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

i would never do that. I actually blame RT. They could have turned it around, but, as Laura had already been refused a panel, I think this was a way of forcing her out.

Hyatt

[superqueeroes.livejournal.com]

That's a shame. She wouldn't have been treated this way by anyone at Saints and Sinners. There are several het women M/M writers who go to it. Dale Chase is one who attends every year and she speaks on the panels too.
Ellen

Re: Hyatt

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I'm sure she wouldn't. I blame RT for this.

[storm-grant.livejournal.com]

I read Laura's post. Neither the poster featuring a guy in bed alone, nor the name "manloverromance" is in any way, inherently gay, so someone must have pointed it out to the Hyatt "Big Boss". Perhaps it was inadvertent and well-meaning, but with RT's history, I'm thinking it was deliberately done with intention to "get rid of the unwanted element". Both RT and the Hyatt owe Laura an apology and... say it with cash!

In Canada, we'd have legal recourse against this kind of prejudiced-based harassment. Not sure if they do in the U.S.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Every one who writes m/m needs to read that post. Eveyone who writes m/m needs to lobby RT and the Hyatt.

They tried to blame the complaints on "some business men" but what the hell were business doing in there, they'd just wandered in for amusement value, i reckon. Grrr.

If it was here I'd be slapping a suit on them so fast their heads would be spinning.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

It's so shitty, it really is.

Ironically, janedavitt found this page at the Hyatt's website (http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/about/diversity/index.jsp), which talks about how diversity is one of its core values and how it's supposed to be such a friendly place for gay employees.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much - I am going to do an update post later and I'll post this with credit.

[cassiopaya.livejournal.com]

Wow, honestly? I think it might be a regional thing, because I've never had a problem like that at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare Chicago - there is a huge Anime Convention with yaoi and gay/lesbian cos-plays and the like and I've never heard of any problems...

It could be that Chicago is just more cosmopolitan than Houston? But perhaps I am biased.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Well I think the gay is still OFFICIALLY illegal in Texas...

I blame RT more than the hotel, to be honest.