UPDATED: Activists Lash Out At Gay Hoteliers Who Hosted Ted Cruz

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

The two gay hoteliers who hosted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) at an event where he said he would love his daughters just as much if they were gay are facing a backlash from LGBT activists. Cruz's comments were notable given that he strongly opposes same-sex marriage.

Now, activists are pushing for a boycott of Out NYC, the hotel owned by Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass (pictured, right). As of Friday, a Facebook page calling on a boycott of Out NYC, the hotel owned by Reisner and Weiderpass, had 3,805 likes Friday afternoon.

"Boycott FIP Establishments and Out NYC Hotel after owners hold reception for Senator Ted Cruz," the about section of the Facebook post said. Another post on the Facebook page said "Weiderpass, an out gay man, held a "reception" this past weekend for Senator Cruz. The question, among so many others, is, WHY???!!!"

Both Weiderpass and Reisner released statements to The New York Times saying they disagreed with Cruz on gay marriage. "I was given the opportunity to have a candidate conversation with Senator Ted Cruz on where he stood on all issues, foreign and domestic," Reisner said in his statement. "It was just three months ago that I hosted a 'Ready for Hillary' event for a record turnout of 900 people at the Out Hotel."

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/activists-backlash-hoteliers-ted-cruz

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Gay hotel owners face boycott after hosting reception for Ted Cruz: ‘What were you guys thinking?

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/04/gay-hotel-owners-face-boycott-after-hosting-reception-for-ted-cruz-what-were-you-guys-thinking/

*****************************************************************************

UPDATE:

Broadway Bares Solo Strips Canceled

A message from Executive Director Tom Viola:

It is with regret that we have decided to cancel this year’s edition of the Broadway Bares Solo Strips fundraiser, which was scheduled for May 10 at the NYC club 42West. We cannot in good conscience hold an event at a venue whose owners have alienated our community, as reflected in an April 23 New York Times story and an April 24 follow-up post.

We do business with and accept fundraising support from a variety of people across a wide spectrum of political and religious affiliations. The rich diversity of our community makes what we do together so special. It is a rare instance where the actions of a donor negatively impacts us as an organization and potentially jeopardizes our relationship with others whose support is integral to our success. But when it does occur, in a way that’s blatantly against all we stand and work for, we can’t pretend it doesn’t come with consequences. Silence is not a neutral position. It is complicit.

This is not about partisan politics or punishment. This is about doing what’s right to ultimately ensure that our commitment to the men, women and children we serve cannot be questioned.

-snip-

more
http://broadwaycares.org/bares2015solostrips

[geomon666]

1. Yeah! Boycott em!

That'll show em! Ted Cruz hates gays so we're going to drive these two gay men out of business!

[blkmusclmachine]

3. That works for me.

[BillZBubb]

5. I'm all for it. We'll have to agree to disagree.

[7962]

10. You perfectly illustrate the hypocrisy of whats happening. nt

[markpkessinger]

13. These two are parasites upon the gay community here in NYC

They also recently held a "dinner" for Ron Johnson! They market their hotels and Fire Island business specifically to the gay community, and yet here they are giving air and sunshine to potential candidates from a party that is doing its level best to work against the interests of the very people who patronize their businesses. They fully deserve to be driven out of business!

[okaawhatever]

19. He wrote on Facebook that it was basically about the state of Israel. Apparently he will donate

money to anti-gay Republicans if they hold the same stance on Israel (probably whether Cruz is willing to send the US to war for Israel). I wonder if he backs Netanyahu or if he would like to see a candidate who is less right wing extremist?

Netanyahu is doing a great job of moving Jewish voters to the GOP.

[Thinkingabout]

2. Cruz has now proven he will do and say anything to get attention.

Yes, he and other Republicans have said awful things about LGBT and now the SC is taking up same sex marriage so now Cruz will need to change his story. Maybe he will love same sex marriages and Obamacare. He twisted his government shutdown into Harry Reid and Obama was responsible for the shutdown. He doesn't have any morals when being truthful.

[BillZBubb]

4. Chickens for Col. Sanders.

It is surprising, given their business, that they thought they could get away with this. I wouldn't patronize their business.

[Voice for Peace]

7. It's a bit of a puzzle to me, gay republicans

[christx30]

8. People may disagree with a politician about one issue,

but agree on others. Foreign policy, taxes, ect.

Clip from The Newsroom, starring Jeff Daniels. He plays a newscaster with a Libertarian slant, but he's pro gay. He's interviewing a gay black person that works for Rick Santorium's office.

[Voice for Peace]

12. wow that was powerful in so many ways.

haven't seen this show, other than the one clip that was viral for a long time.. on Netflix?

[christx30]

14. It's on HBO. The whole series is good, if you like

seeing the news, and seeing how fictional characters react to real events.
"Huh. Says here an oil platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.." Date flashes 'April 20, 2010' (Deepwater Horizon)
or
"I just got a text from the White House... Says to get to work. They're not saying anything else." Date flashes 'May 2, 2011' (Bin Laden rain in Pakistan).

[davidpdx]

24. That was a great scene

He nailed him.

[7962]

9. So how much of a hypocrite do you want to be?

So THEY"RE supposed to turn HIM away but the opposite should never happen? The people in IN are supposed to bake a cake for gays but a gay hotelier is perfectly fine to turn away Eddie Munster & his gang?
Absolutely ridiculous. You cant have it both ways. Grow up for God's sake.

[Princess Turandot]

11. This wasn't a function at a hotel...it was a private dinner for 12 people at a residence of one...

of the hoteliers. The comparison they made to a Hillary Clinton related event at their hotel wasn't exactly on point.

The dinner and “fireside chat” for about a dozen people with Mr. Cruz and his wife, Heidi, was at the Central Park South penthouse of Mati Weiderpass and Ian Reisner....

Mr. Reisner and Kalman Sporn, who advises Mr. Cruz’s Middle East team and served as the moderator for the evening, said the senator told the group that marriage should be left up to the states. The evening focused primarily on foreign policy, including a discussion of gay rights in Israel versus the rest of the Middle East, and opposition to President Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/politics/at-new-york-reception-ted-cruz-is-said-to-strike-different-tone-toward-gays.html
(Emphasis added.)

[markpkessinger]

15. Nobody is telling them to turn away conservative customers . . .

. . .This was a private dinner, IN THEIR APARTMENT. And they recently held a similar dinner for Ron Johnson for Christ's sake. Instead of telling us to grow up, perhaps you should keep up!

[7962]

16. I think they are showing a wonderful side of themselves to everyone.

"..having an open dialogue with those who have differing political opinions is a part of what this country was founded on"
Thats exactly right. Maybe he needs to run for office. He sounds like just the type person we sorely need in office. He certainly sounds like many of the people we USED to see in Congress years ago.
I stand by my original statement; too many people on both sides act like children instead of adults. This man stood tall and I salute him

E: I'd love to have a chance to talk to Cruz or any of the other ones and try to explain why he's so wrong on many positions. Not saying HE could or would change, but others have.

[markpkessinger]

17. "Open dialogue" with Ted Cruz . . .

. . . or any of today's Republicans for that matter. You're a funny one, you are.

[7962]

18. Read my edit for a little more detail

We used to have politicians who were bitter rivals on some issues but still managed to get along outside the chamber. But they got things done. Todays GOP obstructionists could learn from those days.

[Lancero]

21. Yeah, Fox is going to have a lot of fun over THIS one.

One quote from the article says things best - “People on both sides of the aisle need to be able to communicate with one another even when they ideologically disagree... The fact that Senator Cruz accepted the invitation to my home was a step in the right direction toward him having a better understanding of who I am and what I believe in.”

Our nation is screwed up, primarily because neither side is that interested in working together. It's nice to see one person trying to reach out in a attempt to change a persons viewpoint on certain subjects. A futile attempt perhaps, but a attempt none the less.

In any event, the reaction to this is going to do more harm then good. Its not at all hard to see how the more radical RW groups will spin the calls for boycotts, all this will do is further entrench these groups into their own ideals. And at the same time, it's going to make people a lot more fearful of reprisal should they make more direct outreach attempts. Completing things out, the call for boycotts itself is bound to lead to infighting amongst LGBT groups and their supporters.

[NaturalHigh]

22. This boycott doesn't make much sense to me.

In the many threads about the Indiana law, I saw multiple postings that said "I wouldn't refuse service to anyone." That kind of seems like the best course of action to me. I imagine that Cruz's money spends as well as anyone's.

[delrem]

27. If you want to show that Ted Cruz is a putz

there can't be a better venue than having him speak at this "Out NYC Hotel".

Boycotting the hotel for this? Because the owners are gay? But not boycotting all of the other venues at which Ted Cruz and all the other "candidates" will be speaking in this $4billion farce of a pre-election?

That's crazy talk.

[AngryAmish]

23. Crush them

Crush Them.

CRUSH THEM

CRUSH THEM ALL!

[davidpdx]

25. My problem with him saying that he would love his daughter if she were gay

I have a really hard time believing that.

[delrem]

26. For some reason this story reminded me of Barbara Pierce Bush.

I think it's possible to admire a person for the good they do, as
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Pierce_Bush
seems to describe a pretty decent person.
I can admire the good will of a person while still recognizing the dissonance of the world they're part of and born into. None of us are responsible for the state of the world and society we're born into.

Look at the photo of Barbara Pierce Bush with that creepy Pope Benedict XVI.
Imagine the state of denial that allows her to function in the kind of intensely intolerant political pressure cooker she was born into. I haven't it in me to condemn her for that. My judgement more naturally comes down on her family, her society, for being the poor/uncaring/thoughtless/reactionary partners that they are.
_______________________

This story also reminded me of Hillary Rodham Clinton, regarding the same topic:
"The event focused primarily on foreign policy, but the topic of same-sex marriage came up, and during his appearance Mr. Cruz called it an issue best left to the states."

This is the exact same position that Hillary Clinton advanced until very recently. This is well known and I will not "prove it" in face of some feigned disbelief. Likewise President Obama only recently "evolved" away from Cruz's position.

The hotelier said:
"It was just three months ago that I hosted a 'Ready for Hillary' event for a record turnout of 900 people at the Out Hotel."

Was the hotelier's 'Ready for Hillary' event more righteous than his Cruz event?
I say yes - these "evolutions" in politics should be recognized as groundbreaking (at that level of federal politics) in introducing a new and more harmonious norm.

Should the hoteliers be boycotted for hosting Cruz?
IMO no. I like to see a pattern of bad/intolerant/bigoted behavior before I advocate sanctions.

[delete_bush]

28. Broadway Bares Solo Strips is a real class act...

[DonViejo]

29. You're not gay, huh?

[delete_bush]

30. No.

Does it make a difference?

[samsingh]

31. kick

[douggg]

32. Actually, it showed that Cruz is bi-sexual

when it comes to money.