Actor George Clooney has published two columns in the entertainment news site, Deadline Hollywood, calling for a boycott of The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Both are owned by the government of Brunei, where new laws against LGBTQ people have gone into effect this week.
The boycott also extends to other Brunei-owned hotels in other parts of the world.
Singer Elton John and other celebrities have applauded the call to action. On Tuesday, Los Angeles city councilmember Paul Koretz and LA COntroller Ron Galperin have also lent their support to the cause, saying that they will work on formal measures to discourage people from visiting the hotels.
One person who is less sympathetic to the boycott is “Real Time” host Bill Maher. On one of his recent shows, he called the move “chickensh*t tokenism.”
Guests:
Dominic Patten, senior editor at Deadline Hollywood, the entertainment news site which published the two columns from George Clooney; he tweets @DeadlineDominic
Paul Koku, professor of business and marketing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida