Johannesburg - A homophobic American pastor set to visit South Africa will have to find a new place to stay, after the hotel booking he made was rejected.
The pastor, who in 2014 called for gay people to be executed, is coming to the country in September on a “soul-winning marathon”, a plan that has led to outrage among local gay rights groups.
On Monday, gay lifestyle and news website MambaOnline.com revealed the pastor’s plans to visit South Africa to recruit new members for his evangelical congregation at the Faithful Word Baptist Church.
According to the website and Steven L Anderson’s Facebook page, on September 18 he will conduct a day-long event, including a breakfast at the Spur in Festival Mall, Kempton Park, lunch at the Wimpy and a church service at the Premier Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport, where Anderson will preach.
But the Premier Hotels and Resorts Group has refused the pastor access to its hotels.
“This decision was taken when it was brought to our attention that some of the contents of his sermons contradict the Bill of Rights contained within the South African constitution.
“This relates to clause 9.3, which states that 'No person may discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including... sexual orientation.”
“We support the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom of our country’s democracy and reserve our right of admission.”
The Star