When you list your home on sites like Airbnb, people of all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life may come through your door — some you might even want to hang out with. But a Houston man says he was shocked when an Austin host rejected his room reservation on Airbnb because he’s gay.
The Houston man says he was looking for a room in Austin on the Airbnb site Wednesday morning, KHOU-11 reports.
“It asked me when I started the process why I was coming to Austin, and I told them I was going to Austin for the pride festival,” he said.
He found a great spot downtown, and was charged soon after for his stay. But an hour later, he said he got a notice from Airbnb that the reservation had been cancelled.
The lister sent him a message saying why: “No LGBT people, please. I do not support people who are against humanity. Sorry.”
“It really really upset me, because I don’t feel like I don’t support humanity,” the man told KHOU-11.
Airbnb quickly apologized for the lister, but the man says it still feels like a step in the wrong direction. His hope is that others will be open and accepting to anyone who wants to book rooms on the platform in the future.
Airbnb has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and immediately removed the listed, and banned him from listing properties on the platform.
Houston man rejected by Airbnb lister for being gay [KHOU-11]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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