Holiday firm ends ban on gay couples

I first wrote about this a year ago on September 29, 2003, and again on October 1, 2003.

The Sandals Caribbean resort company has now decided that gay couples can stay at their 13 resorts. How nice of them. I don't know what prompted the change in their policy. I suppose it was public pressure or perhaps a loss in revenue.

Whatever caused it, it's not enough for me. Trust and loyalty have to be earned, and simply saying that we can stay there now is not enough. Coors beer did the same thing years ago and our community is still boycotting them, to a large extent because of their on-again-off-again tactics towards our community. Some at Coors welcome our patronage, some don't.

Discrimination is wrong and there should be a price to pay for doing it. The price as far as I'm concerned is a lack of my patronage. If Sandals wants to truly show that they are sincere, perhaps a contribution to a cause within our community should be considered. For me, that would go a long ways in showing their sincerity.

A holiday company which turned away gay couples from its resorts unexpectedly lifted the ban last night in the face of a campaign by an ex-government minister and sexual equality groups.

Sandals, the Caribbean resort company, announced it was lifting its ban on same-sex couples from 13 resorts, just before a spokesman was due to appear to defend its policy with the former minister, Barbara Roche, on BBC Radio 4's Today pro gramme this morning. The company has resorts in Jamaica, St Lucia, Antigua and Bahamas.

Sandals was under commercial pressure from London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, who had banned its advertisements from the tube because of its homophobic attitude to clients. Mr Livingstone was seeking to extend the ban to London's taxis. (source)