A major protest is planned by California LGBT groups boycotting Prop 8 supporter Doug Manchester and his Manchester Grand Hyatt as the American Historical Association holds its annual meeting there this Saturday.

On the agenda: Historical forums on same-sex marriage.

Said Cleve Jones in late November: “I am profoundly disappointed that gay historians will be the first
LGBT people to violate this boycott,” said Jones. “It is a slap in the
face of the hard work of the LGBT community in San Diego. San Diego’s gay community has come so far after decades of struggle
in this conservative city, and to have these out-of-towners come in and
thumb their nose up – it’s unconscionable.”

The following is a joint statement from Geoff Kors, executive director of
Equality California, and Rick Jacobs, founder and chair of the Courage
Campaign:

"Mr. Manchester understands the power of money, having enthusiastically
given $125,000 to get Prop. 8 on the ballot. His early seed money made it
possible to strip same-sex couples of fundamental marriage rights. And now
he has seen the bottom-line impact of our community's boycott of his
hotel."

"The Courage Campaign and Equality California, together with our brothers
and sisters at UNITE HERE and in the labor movement, demand that all
fair-minded people join us as we continue to boycott the Manchester Hyatt.
Until Mr. Manchester personally redresses the causes that created this
boycott, including an apology for funding Prop. 8 as well as providing
workers at his hotel just and fair working conditions, our organizations
will enthusiastically support this boycott."

Since the campaign was launched in 2008, Manchester has failed to meet
with boycott organizers to negotiate a fair resolution and a public
apology. Instead, he tried unsuccessfully to break the boycott against his
properties by offering free conference rooms to lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender organizations if they would hold events at his hotels.
Manchester also offered $25,000 to any national organization that supports
"civil unions," then to Equality California, which refused the offer, and
now to any "registered 501 (c)3" that will apply. The money is a tax
write-off for Manchester and could never be used to fund a ballot
initiative to repeal Prop. 8.

The boycott is supported by a diverse coalition, including Californians
Against Hate, UNITE HERE International Union, the San Diego County Labor
Council and others.