Hollywood Celebrities Speak Out Against Brunei’s Homophobic Law

The Islamic law, which took effect on Wednesday, punishes anyone who is caught performing gay sex or adultery with death. In addition, those who are caught stealing, will face amputation of one or both of their limbs depending on how many times they have committed the crime.

 

This punishment has ignited an international outcry, with many celebrities condemning the Brunei government for their decision. George Clooney, in his opinion piece for Deadline last week, initiated the boycott and listed down all of the hotels owned by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.

“Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens?” the 57-year-old actor wrote on Deadline. “I’ve learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can’t shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way.”

Then, on Tuesday, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres took the same stand as Clooney and asked others to spread the message and raise their voices.

“Tomorrow, the country of #Brunei will start stoning gay people to death. We need to do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up,” the 61-year-old comedian said in her tweet.

The 72-year-old English singer, Elton John, also stood by Clooney’s opinion piece.

“I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right. Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect — as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world,” he wrote on his Twitter.

“I commend my friend, #GeorgeClooney, for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of #Brunei — a place where gay people are brutalized, or worse — by boycotting the Sultan’s hotels,” he continued in the following tweet.

“Our hearts go out to the good, hardworking employees of properties owned by the Sultan of Brunei, many of whom we know to be gay,” he said in his last few tweets in the thread before closing it with the same list of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. “We must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable. That’s why David and I have long refused to stay at these hotels and will continue to do so. We hope you will join us in solidarity.”

Featured image via Flickr / mathiaswasik (CC BY-SA 2.0)