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September 02, 2009
Updated: 9/2/2009 7:44:09 PM

Lawyers Boycott Meeting at Manchester

Lawyers Boycott Meeting at Manchester

The State Bar of California's Annual Meeting will convene in San Diego without a slew of LGBT members and allies.

This year's meeting is scheduled to be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel in San Diego, which is owned by key Proposition 8 proponent Doug Manchester. The hotel magnate gave $125,000 to the campaign to repeal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in 2008. After a boycott was launched by several organizations, including Californians Against Hate and Unite Here Local 30, a hotel workers' union, several conferences and meetings were moved to other locations. Manchester has since pledged $25,000 in support of LGBT causes and an additional $100,000 in the form of hotel credits to be used by LGBT organizations for fund-raising events, as reported in May.

Lambda Legal Marriage Project director Jennifer Pizer issued a statement on Wednesday about the decision to boycott this year's conference.

"The bar associations recognize that many of their members will not feel comfortable attending conference activities at the Manchester Hyatt given its owner's extraordinary personal support of the campaign that made gay people and their families unequal under law, and undermined the basic rights of all minority groups in California," she wrote.

Howard Bragman, Manchester's publicist, told Advocate.com on Monday that the boycott is fruitless at this point because of Manchester's donation.

"A boycott is not an end point," he said. "It is a tactic used to get to an end point, and the end point we are trying to achieve is converting people. In the case of Doug Manchester, we've won. He's pledged to never give a nickel to an antigay cause, has given an equal amount to pro-gay causes, and this is now reeking of something that is very mean, vindictive, and inappropriate. Despite Mr. Manchester's donations, what our own community needs to understand is that we lost Prop. 8 because of the decisions we made -- because of the ways we campaigned and didn't campaign. The only way we're ever going to win is by reaching in to the middle to change hearts and minds."

Bragman added that the boycott was less about LGBT rights, and more about the hotel workers trying to unionize. "The union issues and the boycott and the GLBT issues are apples and oranges," he said. "They are two separate issues. We frankly have a boycott that is being funded and designed by people who have motives other than the GLBT community in an effort to unionize the properties."

The meeting will take place from September 10 to 13. Though Lambda Legal will not participate, as it has in recent years, staff attorney Tara L. Borelli will be a featured panelist in a seminar held in a nearby hotel titled "Bias in California After Proposition 8."

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: Geo
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 8:26 PM
    Hometown: San Diego

    Comment:

    Bragman has it completely wrong--Manchesster can't undo the damage he's caused with any amount of money. And he's never actually apologized or claimed to have changed his stance on the issue. There's nothing mean spirited here: an injustice has been committed against LGBT people, that injustice hasn't been reversed, and Manchester remains culpable for eternity. As for the California Bar Association: SHAME ON THEM!!!!!


  • Name: Teresa
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 7:09 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    Wow, Uncle Howard, kowtow much? So "we lost Prop. 8 because of decisions we made"? There wouldn't have been a Prop. 8 to lose if it weren't for folks like Manchester. Forgive me for being suspicious that his donation to LGBT organizations (which was 80% hotel credits) after the fact was motivated more by his bottom line than a change of heart toward our basic equality. And frankly, I'm tired of being told that it's my job to change the hearts and minds of people who are too intellectually lazy to recognize social injustice on their own. Oh, and I'm pro-union.


  • Name: Eric
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 6:45 PM
    Hometown: Los Angeles

    Comment:

    I'm rather disappointed with Howard Bragman. Recently, it seems to be that he's making all of his money off of people who need to get back in the good graces of the gay community (Isaiah Washington, Doug Manchester, etc.) as their token homo pitchman.


  • Name: Vince
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 5:55 PM
    Hometown: San Diego

    Comment:

    Howard Bragman's logic is fruitless. He seems to believe that donating an equal amount of money to pro-gay causes is an adequate response to the damage done by Proposition H8. He doesn't seem to understand that Manchester Grand Hyatt must completely disavow anti-gay supporters and their actions if the hotel wishes to receive business from the pro-gay demographic. In actuality, Bragman is guilty of the "mean, vindictive, and inappopriate" behavior in this sad situation by first trying to justify the anti-gay donations, then attempting to vilify the opposition when his belatedly insufficient damage control is not met with complete forgiveness and a cease-and-desist of all boycott efforts. The claim involving hidden union agendas is a weak attempt to distract from the issue of gay equality that is truly driving the boycott.


  • Name: mike
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 5:17 PM
    Hometown: cincinnati

    Comment:

    No amount of donations will ever be able to undo the damage done to those who would have liked the right to marry. It is sad that we tolerate these kinds of people. Donations to the gay community after such a devastating blow to it is too little too late. We should be finished with all of Mr. Manchester's endeavors. Gays who feel that this is ok since we are receiving money are the reason that nothing is accomplished. Gays have to become more angry, resentful, and out of control toward those who want to continue to oppress us.


  • Name: Jay
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 5:09 PM
    Hometown: Santa Monica

    Comment:

    I am also disappointed in the Bar. I don't think any glbtq person should darken Manchester's businesses. (Or is that mean and vindictive of me now that Manchester has had a conversion? BTW, what gay groups accepted his money? Good reporting should include this information.)


  • Name: Alexandra
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 4:57 PM
    Hometown: Grundy, VA

    Comment:

    It's probably worth noting that Sept. 10-13 is a direct overlap with the national LGBT Bar Association's career fair and conference in New York.


  • Name: Lisa
    Date posted: 2009-09-02 4:23 PM
    Hometown: Sacramento

    Comment:

    I am disapointed in the Bar. You think they might have a backbone and stand for something. As for the Hyatt credits-Why would we patronize or matronize and organization that supports our subjugation? You would think an organization that supports equality under the law wouldn't support an organization owned by someone who contributes against it. Does this speak volumes of the leadership? If the impression is incorrect-please fix it. Married lesbian, law student.


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