Airbnb: The Left’s Hypocrisy and Double Standards On Show Again

The homosexual activists and the left are applauding Airbnb for discriminating against those who refuse to bow their knee to the radical homosexual agenda. Yes we expect them to do this. Yet they insist that Christian and other businesses that seek to act according to their conscience are NOT allowed such room to move. Hypocrisy much?

Airbnb, for those not in the know, is a business which lets folks rent out their homes on a short-term basis. People can use their services to rent a place while on vacation, while others can offer their homes for those seeking to do so. A nice and helpful business.

airbnb-1But, it has decided to go PC big time and ram the homosexual agenda down the throats of every one seeking to use this service. They already had a whole page pushing their “inclusion” which of course translates into excluding all who will not go along with their agenda.

See this: “Airbnb’s Nondiscrimination Policy: Our Commitment to Inclusion and Respect” which is found here: https://www.airbnb.com.au/help/article/1405/airbnb-s-nondiscrimination-policy–our-commitment-to-inclusion-and-respect?topic=250

Now they have taken this even further, forcing people to sign a commitment to their activist policies, or take a hike. That can be found here: http://blog.airbnb.com/the-airbnb-community-commitment/

It says:

Earlier this year, we launched a comprehensive review of our platform in an effort to fight bias and discrimination in the Airbnb community. This effort was led by Laura Murphy, the former head of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington D.C. Legislative Office and in consultation with dozens of experts from the advocacy and civil rights community, such as former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. You can read more about what we learned and the steps we’re taking to fight discrimination in this report.
In response to the review’s findings, we’re taking steps to ensure that everyone who uses Airbnb agrees to a stronger, more detailed nondiscrimination policy. Over the coming days we’ll begin asking each host and guest to agree to the Airbnb Community Commitment, which says: “I agree to treat everyone in the Airbnb community—regardless of their race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or age—with respect, and without judgment or bias.”
Agreeing to the Community Commitment also means agreeing to adhere to our nondiscrimination policy. When you log in to your Airbnb account, you’ll see the new commitment language and be asked to accept it. If you choose to decline, you will not be able to host or book using Airbnb and will have the option to cancel your account. Once an account is canceled, future booked trips will be canceled; however, you’ll still be able to browse Airbnb. If in the future you accept the commitment to inclusion, you’re welcome to come back.

There you have it folks: either open your doors to anyone who wants to come in, whether you are happy to or not, or you will be banned from this outfit. Hmm, so that is how “inclusion” works: exclude anyone who dares to differ. Right, got that.

As Jenny Stokes rightly notes: “Of course, Airbnb is actually discriminating against ALL the people who aren’t prepared to sign the statement.” Others have weighed into this as well. For example, Rod Dreher writes:

I can understand Airbnb wanting to police the views and actions of those who rent out rooms to the public through it. I think it’s overreach. I mean, I think people who are welcoming others into their home should have total freedom to pick and choose their guests, even if they do so from bias. In fact, if a potential Airbnb host doesn’t want me in his house because I am a white Christian, I don’t want to be in the house of a person like that anyway. If an Airbnb host only wants to make her property open to women, or LGBTs, or Muslims, or any other designation, I believe Airbnb should grant them that right out of respect to their sovereignty over their home. So, I disagree with Airbnb requiring this policy of its hosts. But it is defensible.
What is not defensible is Airbnb expecting the same of its customers. If a customer behaves badly, in a rude, disrespectful manner to his or her hosts and their property, then they should be banned from the service. But by requiring customers to opt-in on a broad anti-discrimination statement as the price for doing business with them, Airbnb is setting up a de facto barrier to participation for religious traditionalists….
I still can’t get over how bizarre it is for a business to police its customers like this, not wanting to do business with people who hold the “wrong” views. I’m about to check out from a Courtyard Marriott. What if in the future, hotels like this compelled their customers to sign such a commitment? There would be few places that religious conservatives and others who didn’t accept the LGBT line could stay when they travel. It’s not hard to imagine gay activists in the near future instituting a corporate campaign to get “Fairness Pledges” to be part of the business model of hotels and other businesses. If they succeed, then somebody will need to come up with The Religious Conservative Motorist Green Book.
So, let’s get this straight: the state can force a florist to arrange flowers for a same-sex wedding, in violation of her religious beliefs. And if this Airbnb policy is legal, a homestay network can force its customers to affirm certain beliefs to have the ability to purchase its service. Crazy times.

And of course one has to ask how all this plays out in the brave new world of gender bender activism. For example, the original policy says this: “Airbnb hosts may not decline to rent to a guest based on gender unless the host shares living spaces (for example, bathroom, kitchen, or common areas) with the guest.”

So let’s say you are a single mum with two young daughters, but you want to rent out a room – but only to another female. Makes sense to me. But with all the transgender madness now upon us, what if a guy wants to rent the room there (complete with the shared bathroom)?

He can put on a dress and say that he identifies as a female! All over the West that is good enough, and those who dare to “discriminate” against such people are being harassed by the heavy hand of the law. So how will the trendy, politically correct Airbnb handle this one?

They are so gung ho on the rights of everyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation, etc., that surely they will demand the right of transgenders to do their thing as a renter. If not, why not? So this whole thing is a legal and social nightmare.

I agree with Dreher. I think a home owner should be able to rent out his property to whoever he wants to. And of course all this will be interesting as it plays out given that both the renters and the rentees are not employees of Airbnb, so how exactly it will enforce their policy remains to be seen.

The entire matter has become one big joke, and I already know of a number of folks who have cancelled their arrangements with Airbnb because of this silly new commitment policy. And I really would like to see a bit of even-handedness here.

If a homosexual does not want to rent his house out to straight people, or print a T-shirt with Romans 1:26-28 on it, they should not be forced to do so. But then they should stop seeking to force heterosexuals and Christians to do the very thing they think they should be exempt from.

They should call off all the attack dogs who are going after Christian businesses, whether cake makers, or florists, or reception centre owners, or printers, etc. But they are still going full steam ahead with this, dragging in the state to crack down on any ‘recalcitrants’ who want to be free to follow their own conscience on such matters.

Lest one think this is purely an overseas issue, Australia of course is in the international orbit of Airbnb. And I have offered various cases of this sort of discrimination against Christians occurring here. As but one recent example, Tasmanian homosexual activist advocate Rodney Croome said this about allowing any sorts of exemptions for religious groups:

“I’m deeply concerned about the proposal to allow unspecified exemptions on the grounds of religion and to allow conscientious objection. I believe religious ministers should be free to marry who they want, but the government’s proposal could mean civil celebrants, marriage registrars and wedding service providers like bakers and florists are all free to discriminate.”

Tasmanian pastor Campbell Markham rightly warned about this:

We are talking here about the destruction of a principle foundational to free Western society: liberty of conscience, a principle bequeathed by our forebears at the expense of blood, sweat, thought and tears. Communities fled Europe to the New World for freedom of conscience. The American Declaration of Independence established “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as “unalienable rights”. This at the very least meant liberty from coercion against one’s conscience.

As I said, the leftist activists insist that we do not “discriminate” while they applaud other businesses that do in fact discriminate. This is called hypocrisy and double standards. But that is something we have come to expect from the left and the homosexual activists.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/no-bigots-need-book-airbnb/
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/opinion/talking-point-flowers-liberty-and-faith-but-no-gay-abandon/news-story/c54c48890d1169a71ee6f5e2f12489d4?nk=884979ebee1857d6ed6cf046514ab42a-1478069695

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16 Replies to “Airbnb: The Left’s Hypocrisy and Double Standards On Show Again”

  1. Interesting development! I guess we can stay at a Muslim or gay owned property and they will be fine with us reading the Bible and praying in a room adjoining their room?

    Airbnb is not a hotel chain, it involves people renting out a room under your roof in some cases where it pays to be choosy as to who you invite in.

    It will not contribute to good PR for airbnb as many users will take to boards like these to warn others http://www.airbnbhell.com/airbnb-host-stories/ andhttp://www.airbnbhell.com/airbnb-guest-stories/

  2. Discrimination is akin to choice and choice is akin to freedom. We discriminate in a number of ways each and every moment of our life when we turn the channel of out tv or radio or which product to purchase or people we talk to etc. and I can assure that no active homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transvestite, intersex (sex with animals) or queer is going to share my space let alone my home or car – end of story.

  3. Yes Bill, as an Airbnb hostess + Booking.com business of 2 years with 700+ guests it was dismaying to read about how airbnb has lost the plot.

    However, as a Christian + someone who set up ‘Kismet’ – ‘God’s Predestination that you have come to stay here’ under His Almighty Guidance – I will continue to host unless God convicts me otherwise.

    I believe our home can be a wonderful witness to the lost + I know God is in control in this sad, mad world.

  4. This type of intimidation, harassment, bullying, boycotts, lawsuits and persecution of Christians by the LGBT activists is happening worldwide.

    It is the movement that will separate true Christians from the apostates.
    It is the latest in the “culture wars”

  5. I got that email from Airbnb.. I replied: “are you serious”! I guess they are. I didn’t hear anything further.

  6. Sorry for going a little off topic, but it does have something to do with homosexuality… has anyone else seen the marriage equality ad on tv? I saw it last night.

  7. An example of the mark of the beast. Christians being slowly strangled out of society, out of services, out of work. Marana Tha, I’m yearning for justice. I’m angry.

  8. Thanks for the follow-up on this from a comment made on a previous post.

    I got my email from Airbnb 2 days before implementation.

    This was the email I sent to their allbelong@airbnb.com, which of course was rejected by their server – a standard tactic in such situations. I then forwarded it direct to a customer service contact in Ireland. No response. I have also tweeted about it. No response.

    Dear Sir/Madam
    I strongly reject your request to sign your new terms and conditions.

    How dare you apply your perverse fascist value system to my behaviour, trade and to my property.

    “You commit to treat everyone—regardless of race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age—with respect, and without judgement or bias.”

    Your statement is a controlling of freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and plain common sense. So you want me to invite a bunch of paedophiles into my property? Paedophilia is a sexual orientation allegedly.

    What about existing bookings that have been made through Airbnb, will you cancel them and will you issue us with a full refund including your charges?

    This is one of the most outrageous business policies that has been enforced on a global community of customers I have ever heard of. By its application it is discriminatory.

    I will be cancelling my account, but I want clarification on my existing booking for December 2016.

    Yours faithfully

    James B Waddell

  9. It’s interesting how another regular poster here said only a few weeks back that it wouldn’t be long before people would be forced to sign a document to say they agreed with/accepted all things LGBT in order to get their pensions, visas, licences etc etc. Looks like it’s already started.

  10. This is in sync with the Marxist intention to destroy the sovereignty of the family. Melinda Rau-Wig, keep on laying your gospel time-bombs as you welcome sinners into your sovereign space in this system, as God is for you and at work in all things for good to those (who love God) who are the called according to His sovereign purpose whom He justified! and glorified!. Glorified is to be made a child of the God of great astounding moral glory. How astounding! He shall see of the travail of His soul and HE will be satisfied! DON’T YOU LOVE HIM!!! Yes we do.

  11. As a matter of plain common sense, it would appear to me that when you rent out a room of your house to someone (it used to be called “taking in a boarder”), the first requirement would be that the two of you can get on together. If that person has habits obnoxious to you, or you have habits obnoxious to him, it would be best for both of you that the deal not go ahead.
    Therefore, I would even defend restrictions due to race. After all, if I am a racist, and you belong to the “wrong” race, would you really want to share a house with me?

  12. Hey Robert, such amazing, encouraging words from a fellow believer – thank you.
    May God continue to bless you + keep you safe + joyously proactive in your Battle for The Lord.
    Love Billy Graham’s words (paraphrased) of yesteryear,
    “Don’t worry, I’ve read the last few words of the Bible – God Wins!”
    Yes, how WE do love Our Almighty Father in Heaven.
    The Victory is His!

  13. With this lunacy going on it couldn’t take long for someone to get a rival service going in addition to what is already out there. A slogan such as, “AirBnB makes you accept anyone. We don’t.” would get a few hosts joining.

  14. Yes, “we are being discriminatory and refuse to accept certain people” sounds like a great inclusive slogan. Very Australian.

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