Elton John is throwing his support behind George Clooney's call for an immediate boycott of all the Sultan of Brunei's hotels in protest of his nation's new anti-gay laws.
In a recent guest column for online movie news site Deadline, the Oscar winner suggested fans, friends and peers should stay away from the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Hotel Bel-Air and other luxury resorts to protest the imminent legalisation of laws that strip the LGBTQ community of its rights in Brunei.
Now the Rocket Man hitmaker is joining Clooney in his protest.
"I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right," a statement from John reads. "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.
And he is praising Clooney for speaking out.
"Discrimination on the basis of sexuality is plain wrong and has no place in any society," the statement adds. "That's why I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand and calling out the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry now being enshrined in law in the nation of Brunei, a place where gay people are brutalized or worse. As George has said, the Sultan of Brunei owns many luxury hotels around the world - hotels which David and I have found it impossible to visit since the Sultan's plan to push for shar'ia law in Brunei became public. Our hearts go out to the good, hardworking employees of these properties, many of whom we know to be gay.
"We recognise that sovereign countries will make decisions for their own citizens," it concludes. "But we feel we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable. We must never underestimate the power of our voices - and our actions - to spark the change we need to see."
