At a press conference last Friday, GLBT activists and union leaders marked the one-year anniversary of the Manchester Hyatt Boycott, launched last year in response to hotel owner Doug Manchester’s $125,000 contribution to qualify Proposition 8 for the ballot.

“For over a year we have urged San Diegans, Californians and Americans to boycott the Manchester Hyatt because of Manchester’s contribution to Proposition 8 and onerous workloads for the hotel’s housekeepers,” said Cleve Jones, a national gay leader and former aid to slain San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. “The hotel’s own people have admitted to losing over $7 million in business due to the boycott. This boycott has truly shown the power of our reenergized community and the alliance between the gay community and labor.”

Proposition 8 eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. Boycott organizers also committed to continue the boycott and expand its scope.

“One of our goals for the next year will be to take the boycott to the next level – global,” said Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate. “We will ask travel planners and tour operators throughout the world not to book meetings and room nights at the Manchester properties. We will put up a virtual bright yellow caution tape around Manchester’s hotels, and ask people not to cross it.”

The boycott has drawn increasing media attention and picked up steam since it began. Early on, several groups announced that they would move or cancel events at the hotel. Recently, the American Association of Justice, a trial lawyers group moved its entire convention out of the Manchester Hyatt to San Francisco to honor the boycott. At a recent gay and lesbian travel exposition, a hotel spokesperson confirmed that the boycott has cost the hotel more than $7 million.

At the July 17 press conference, organizers unveiled more than just a new approach. They came with a new logo and visual aid – bright yellow caution tape reading “Do not cross. Do not support bigotry and discrimination.” Organizers say the caution tape is intended as a reminder for individuals throughout the country not to patronize the hotel.

“We want to send a very simple message to all those planning to travel to San Diego that the Manchester Hyatt Boycott is on and stronger than ever,” said Human Relations Commissioner, Nicole Murray-Ramirez. “The unions, hotel workers and gay community started this fight together and we intend to finish it together.”

One memorable event of the past year featured a public entreaty to former President Bill Clinton not to give a paid speech at the Manchester Hyatt. Clinton went forward with the speech, but drew the ire of gay activists throughout the country. In response, Clinton issued a letter articulating his hope that Proposition 8 be repealed. Boycott organizers credit the Clinton episode with helping ignite support for the boycott.

“When Bill Clinton violated our boycott, he did us the biggest favor we could have asked for, said Bridgette Browning, UNITE HERE Local 30 president, the hotel workers union in San Diego. “In less than a week over 30,000 people signed a petition asking him to move. He refused and drew international attention.”

Soon afterwards, Manchester hired a gay public relations spokesperson, Howard Bragman, who said Manchester is the victim in the boycott.

“I think the community should understand that the gay community has tied in with the union in this issue, which has nothing to do with anything relating to this boycott but it’s merely an opportunistic effort to go after a nonunion property and I think they’re apples and oranges,” Bragman said. “I don’t think it’s serving the GLBT community. It serves the leaders of the community; I think there’s a difference.”

In May, Bragman announced an offer by Manchester of $125,000 to gay groups – the same amount he paid to the “Yes on 8” campaign. The payoff is said to be in the form of $25,000 to a national organization that supports domestic partnerships and civil unions. He said he would also make available $100,000 in hotel credits to GLBT organizations.

Following Friday’s press conference, Bragman said that “while a boycott may be a very acceptable tactic, it is not an endpoint, it’s a tactic to reach an endpoint.”

In the next few weeks, Manchester intends to launch a Web site allowing the community to apply for donations.

“We’re going to open it up to local, regional, or national organizations that are registered 501(c)3’s to apply for cash and in kind monies,” he said, noting that is a win for the GLBT community.

“They should say, ‘we won.’ What I don’t understand is, if it’s from somebody who apologizes, makes amends, does all the right things, and you don’t accept his apology I think you run the possibility of sending the wrong message in the community.”

Meanwhile, activists also called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to remove Manchester from the prestigious California Travel and Tourism Commission, a nonprofit organization which develops marketing programs to attract travel business to the state. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and are typically drawn from the ranks of hospitality industry leaders from throughout California.

“Manchester’s contribution has resulted in millions in lost business for San Diego,” said Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign chair. “What happens when the next group moves out of state completely? Schwarzenegger should fire Doug Manchester from the Travel and Tourism Commission. He has done more harm to San Diego and California than he can ever make up.”