Advocates for same-sex marriage have been boycotting the Manchester Grand Hyatt and the Grand del Mar Resort, both owned and operated by Douglas Manchester, for his donation of an estimated $125,000 to the Proposition 8 campaign. Prop 8 was passed in November with the intent to ban same-sex marriages in California. Organizations that are involved in the boycott include the Courage Campaign and EQCA (Equality California), with a backing by these organizations and an outraged community, the boycott has shown no sign of slowing down over the past two years. Fred Karger and his group, Californians Against Hate, have been leading the boycott.

“We’ve offered from day one to meet with Doug Manchester to try to negotiate an end to the boycott,” said Karger. “He has always refused to meet with us.”

At a press conference in July of last year, in front of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, Fred Karger, unveiled posters in Japanese, Spanish as well as English depicting the hotel surrounded by yellow caution tape with the words “please do not cross” and “don’t support bigotry and discrimination.” Within this first year of protest that started in 2008, the boycott has cost the hotel an estimated $7 million due to cancellations by some of the hotel’s bigger clients such as International Employee Benefits Association and the American Association of Justice, which booked about 7,000 rooms that were held for them for about seven years.

With signs, picketing and an angered community, varying demonstrations have been held outside these two hotel locations since the boycott’s birth, deterring guests from entering or giving their business to an owner that promotes anti-gay legislation. Although Douglas Manchester donated the funds that helped to promote Prop 8, Manchester has since apologized for his support of Prop 8 and has offered $25,000 in cash donations and $100,000 in hotel credit to various lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender groups even considering he has since become a minority owner of these two hotels. But many groups see this change of heart as something that is not genuine.

Further scrutiny toward the Manchester Grand Hyatt was the announcement that after previous staff cuts, reduced hours, and excessive injury rates, the hotel wishes to keep its employees in recession contracts. Michael Anderson, a member of San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality, Activist San Diego Board Member and boycott coordinator for UNITE HERE! has been fighting along with Karger on this gay rights and labor boycott. In fact, another demonstration will be held today at the Hyatt owned Andaz located at 600 F St. in San Diego at around 5:15 p.m. Planning of this demonstration has more than theorized that arrests could potentially be made tonight, but the protest will continue until a settlement can be arranged.