LA officials call for boycott of Brunei-owned hotels

Officials and LGBTQ leaders in California joined Tuesday a growing chorus of people calling for a boycott of Brunei-owned hotels in the Los Angeles area.

The call to boycott the fabled Beverly Hills Hotel, once the playground of Hollywood celebrities, and Hotel Bel-Air came after the sultanate announced plans to implement the death penalty for gay sex and adultery.

"As a citywide elected official, I represent a diverse community of Angelenos, and I call on everyone to boycott the hotels owned by Brunei's royal family," LA Controller Ron Galperin said in a statement.

"I will not set foot in these establishments so long as they are owned and controlled by a regime that is willing to kill LGBTQ people.

"While I feel bad for the many hard-working employees of these local hotels, no one should support or attend any events there while lives are on the line."
Los Angeles Council member Paul Koretz said people should shun both hotels even "if that means marring their reputation and fabled history."