A gay couple say they were refused a rental by an Airbnb host in Texas after they asked if they would host “two men sleeping together”.
The couple said they were disappointed and began to Twitter to share their frustration.
“Love trying to book an Airbnb with my boyfriend in Dallas and having this be the first response to our booking,” Curtis Kimberlin Jr wrote on Twitter along with a screenshot of their chat with the host.
During the chat, Kimberlin’s partner explained that they would be flying out for a weekend wedding and shared their excitement.
“It will be my first time in Texas and my partner is from Dallas so he will show me around,” Kimberlin’s partner Jonathan wrote to the host, whose name was blacked out in the screenshot. Jonathan briefly summarized their travel plans and told the host to let them know if he had any questions.
The host responded about 15 minutes later and asked, “So, I’m going to host two men who sleep together… right?”
Kimberlin told KXAS-TV that the host refused their request shortly after this conversation.
“I was shocked, for sure, but I’m also a bit used to having to hide parts of myself to calm the reactions of conservatives to my identity,” he told the newspaper. station. “I wasn’t completely surprised, let alone disappointed.”
The couple asked Airbnb for help, and the company suspended the host while they investigate.
Meanwhile, Hilton hotels offered offered them free accommodation while they were in Dallas after seeing their tweet. Kimberlin told KXAS-TV that they accepted that offer.
But the ordeal left a bad taste in their mouths, Kimberlin told KXAS-TV. “If you’re not comfortable around people who look different from you or have an identity different from yours, don’t go on Airbnb,” he told the station. “Don’t be a host on Airbnb. It’s as simple as that.”
Airbnb hosts cannot refuse LGBTQ+ guests based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, in accordance with the company’s non-discrimination policy.
Airbnb told McClatchy News the host has since been banned from the platform.
“Discrimination based on sexual orientation has no place on Airbnb,” the company said in a statement. “After further investigation, we can confirm that this host and this listing have been removed from our community.”
Property managers retaliate as black trans woman complains of discrimination, lawsuit claims
Restaurant manager fires after gay couple say they were reprimanded at CA ‘family’ restaurant
Teacher says she lost her job after refusing to use students’ pronouns at Ohio school
Comments are closed.