Airbnb Suspends Host Who Refused to Rent to Gay Couple
Short-term rental platform launches investigation into allegation that a host violated its nondiscrimination policy.
Airbnb has temporarily suspended a host from its platform following a message allegedly sent to a same-sex couple that some are interpreting as disparaging.
Curtis Kimberlin, Jr. and his partner, Jonathan, were looking to book a room in Dallas, Texas. According to a screenshot of an exchange between Jonathan and the host, which Kimberlin shared to Twitter, Jonathan noted that the couple was going to be in Dallas for a weekend wedding, and were in need of a room.
“My partner and I will be flying into town for a weekend wedding and we’re really excited,” Jonathan wrote, detailing their travel plans. “It’ll be my first time in Texas and my partner is from Dallas, so he’ll be showing me around.”
The host replied: “So I’ll be hosting two men sleeping together…right?”
After Kimberlin shared the screenshot of the exchange, a user asked him if he could cancel the booking, to which Kimberlin said, “He luckily denied us before we could cancel, but it still doesn’t feel great.”
After learning about the situation, Airbnb said it was investigating the host for violating its nondiscrimination policy, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, according to the travel website Travel Noire.
“Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has no place on Airbnb, and we take reports of violations of our nondiscrimination policy incredibly seriously,” an Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement. “We suspended this listing and host from the platform as we investigate further, and we have reached out to our impacted guests to offer our support.”
According to Travel Noire, Airbnb has come under heavy scrutiny over the past few years, especially from users from historically marginalized communities who say that the platform hasn’t done enough to crack down on instances of discrimination. In 2020, the company launched the Project Lighthouse Initiative, which is specifically aimed at making Airbnb’s platform more inclusive for communities of color.
Airbnb requires hosts offering up venues for short-term rentals to abide by the company’s nondiscrimination policy, and has reportedly removed more than 2.5 million people from the platform for declining to agree to its Community Commitment, which requires everyone to treat each other with respect and without judgment or bias.
Despite such policies in place, some users responded to Kimberlin’s tweet that they had experienced discrimination when seeking out places to stay.
“I once got a listing removed from Airbnb because they said they wouldn’t allow same sex couples in the description.. insane that they could even post that in the first place but glad Airbnb did the right thing by removing it,” tweeted one user.
“I’m avoiding AirBnB as much as possible these days. Mostly to avoid situations like these,” tweeted another user. “Travelling as a queer couple is tricky. That’s why I prefer hotels, they can’t treat you like this.”
“My friend and their wife, both queer people of color, were denied entry when they knocked on the door of their Airbnb a few years ago in the south,” noted a third Twitter user. “The host saw two queer nonwhite people and immediately canceled their reservation. I’ll never use Airbnb.”
Still others suggested that the couple check out Misterb&b, which markets itself as an LGBTQ-friendly platform, or even book a room at a hotel in order to avoid potentially uncomfortable situations like this one.
Even Hotel giant Hilton replied to Kimberlin’s tweet, touting its LGBTQ-friendly reputation and writing: “Curtis — if you and your partner still need help with a stay, we got you! Please meet us in the DMs!”
Curtis – if you and your partner still need help with a stay, we got you! Please meet us in the DMs! 🫶
— Hilton (@Hilton) January 9, 2023
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