Texas Hotel Cancels Ugandan President's Room Over Anti-Gay Stance?

Officials from a hotel in Irving, Texas, reportedly canceled a room booked by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni because of a controversial anti-gay bill he supported and because his stay may spark protests near the establishment, the Dallas Voice reports.

Museveni is scheduled to be in Irving this weekend to speak at the local Convention Center to promote tourism and look for investors for Uganda's oil and gas industry. On Wednesday the Dallas Voice reported the Four Seasons in Irving, where Museveni and his first lady planned on staying, canceled his room.

The newspaper reports Museveni is "currently negotiating with the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine to host his stay."

The hotel's director of marketing, Lance Peters, told Think Progress he was "not able to comment on any guest that may or may not be here" because of guest privacy rules. The Gaylord Texan did confirm, however, that Museveni spoke with the hotel for a room.

"They did inquire about staying, but we're not able to accommodate them because of the short-term notice and requirements that they had," Martha Neibling, the Texan's director of marketing and public relations, told Think Progress.

As Gay Star News notes, the Four Seasons canceled Museveni's stay after the Dallas Voice published its first blog post about his stay in Texas and detailed the country's anti-gay stance. The site also notes that local LGBT activists vowed to hold protests outside whichever hotel Museveni stays during his trip.

Museveni's canceled room comes not long after Uganda's tourist officials said they welcome LGBT tourists and that they should feel safe despite the anti-gay bill, that would criminalize gay sex with a life sentence.

Uganda has come under fire over the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which was struck down by the Constitutional Court of Uganda in August. Ugandan lawmakers, however, want to reassess the measure and vote on it again.