An Open Letter to the LGBT Community

Hi all,

I am asking LGBT community leaders to sign on to this open letter to GLAAD. Please contact me as soon as possible to let me know if you will sign on as an individual or your organization. The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club has already signed on.

GLAAD was contacted and asked to move their conference a while back and they have refused.

Thanks,

Robert



Peter Zalabak

GLAAD

5455 Wilshire Blvd, #1500
Los Angeles, CA 90036



May, 2005



Dear Pete Zalabak,

We are writing to you to express our concern about GLAAD’s upcoming 16th Annual Media Awards San Francisco being held at the Westin St Francis. The Westin St Francis is one of 14 hotels currently engaged in a protracted labor dispute with its employees. . In the fall, the St Francis and 13 other Multi-Employer Group Hotels denied their employees access to their jobs, “locked them out”, trying to starve them into accepting a bad contract. All of this has happened at a time when hotel profits and occupancy rates are at a three year high and continue to climb.



GLAAD has the opportunity to help the hotel employees and the community of San Francisco in this struggle by sending a message to Starwood Corporation. When you move the Annual Media Awards from the boycotted hotels, you help bring the hotel employees one step closer to settling this labor dispute. When groups move their meetings, it shows Starwood and the other hotel corporations that the struggle of the hotel workers extends beyond our union, and that groups like yours do believe in justice. All of this means that GLAAD has the chance to play an instrumental role in ending these bitter contract negotiations. On behalf of all San Francisco hotel workers and their families, please stand in solidarity with us and move your convention out of the St Francis and into a non-boycotted hotel.



Thank you