Airbnb host asks if men will be ‘sleeping together’, denies Texas rental, couple says
A gay couple says they were denied a rental by an Airbnb host in Texas after he asked if he would be hosting “two men sleeping together.”
The couple said they were disappointed and took to Twitter to share their frustration.
“Love trying to book an Airbnb with my bf in Dallas and having this be the first response to our booking,” Curtis Kimberlin Jr wrote on Twitter along with a screenshot of their conversation with the host.
In the conversation, Kimberlin’s partner explained they would be flying into town for a weekend wedding and shared their excitement.
“It’ll be my first time in Texas and my partner is from Dallas, so he’ll be showing me around,” Kimberlin’s partner, Jonathan, wrote to the host, whose name was blocked out of the screenshot. Jonathan briefly summarized their travel plans and told the host to let them know if he had any questions.
The host responded about 15 minutes later and asked: “So I’ll be hosting two men sleeping together…right?”
Kimberlin told KXAS-TV that the host denied their request shortly after that conversation.
“I was shocked for sure, but I am also somewhat used to having to hide certain parts of myself to calm conservative folks’ reactions to my identities,” he told the station. “I wasn’t completely surprised, more so disappointed.”
The couple reached out to Airbnb for help, and the company suspended the host while it investigated.
Meanwhile, Hilton hotels offered them a free place to stay while they were in Dallas after seeing their tweet. Kimberlin told KXAS-TV they accepted that offer.
But the ordeal left a bad taste in their mouths, Kimberlin told KXAS-TV. “If you are uncomfortable with people who look differently than you or have different identities than you, don’t go on Airbnb,” he told the station. “Don’t be a host on Airbnb. It’s as simple as that.”
Airbnb hosts can’t deny LGBTQ+ guests based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the company’s nondiscrimination policy.
Airbnb told McClatchy News the host has since been banned from the platform.
“Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has no place on Airbnb,” the company said in a statement. “Following a thorough investigation, we can confirm this Host and listing have been removed from our community.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Airbnb host asks if men will be ‘sleeping together’, denies Texas rental, couple says."
