Music industry legend Clive Davis is reportedly boycotting numerous hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei after the ruler imposed Shariah law in his home country.
As of early May, the citizens on the island of Borneo face fines and imprisonment for minor crimes and whippings and amputation for more serious crimes. Some could even face death by stoning for adultery and homosexual acts.
Clive Davis boycotts the Sultan of Brunei’s LA hotels, urges him to sell citing humanitarian issues http://t.co/fRhsDXVPhH via @PageSix
— Clive Davis (@CliveDavis) May 10, 2014
In light of the news Davis, who serves as the chief creative officer at Sony Music, told the New York Post’s Page Six that he will no longer visit Sultan’s establishments, which include the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, the Plaza Athénée in Paris, and the Dorchester in London.
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“When I learned of the enactment of the penal code, I realized it would be impossible for me to stay there,” Davis said of the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he has visited since 1965 and served as the former home of his annual pre-Grammy gala.
Davis, who revealed in his 2013 autobiography, “The Soundtrack of My Life,” that he is bisexual, says the boycott has nothing to do with his sexuality.
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“It’s a humanitarian issue,” he told Page Six, adding that he hopes the Sultan will sell his hotels. “It’s relevant to everybody, every independent-thinking human being,” Clive said. “It’s about right and wrong.”
Other protestors include Jay Leno, Richard Branson and Ellen DeGeneres.
Davis was the recipient of Billboard’s inaugural Music Visionary Award during the 2013 Billboard Power 100 event in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, the honor was renamed the Billboard Clive Davis Visionary Award and given to Joe Smith, the former president of Warner Bros., Capitol and Elektra.