Critics, LGBT+ activists criticize George Clooney over 'warning shot' remarks

LGBT+ activists on Tuesday criticised Oscar-winning actor George Clooney after he called a boycott of luxury hotels owned by Brunei a "warning shot" to Indonesia and Malaysia should they consider introducing similar anti-gay laws.

Clooney, who is also a political activist and one of the most influential names in Hollywood, in late March called for a boycott of luxury hotels, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, owned by Brunei because of the Southeast Asian nation's plans to impose the death penalty for people having gay sex or committing adultery. Following a global outcry, the sultan of the oil-rich state last week said the death penalty would not be imposed.

Appearing on U.S. talk show, "Ellen", the "Ocean's Eleven" actor discussed the boycott and economic pressure that followed after the announcement of the new laws and the U-turn. "It's not fixed yet ... but it's a huge step forward after this giant leap backwards," Clooney last Friday told the show's host Ellen DeGeneres, who also publicly backed the boycott.

"It sends a warning shot over to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia - who are also considering these laws - that the business people, the big banks, those guys are going to say 'don't even get into that business'." But Clooney's remarks sparked an online backlash as critics and regional LGBT+ activists pointed out major differences between Brunei and its Islamic neighbours.

"I call on George Clooney and Hollywood to listen and work together with local activists and human rights defenders on the ground," Numan Afifi, president of the LGBT+ advocacy PELANGI Campaign in Malaysia, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Local activists have been putting their lives at risk on the ground working, for years," Afifi said. "His statement, while well-meaning, might also be counterproductive for our case."

Representatives of Clooney did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. Socially conservative attitudes prevail across Asia where Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore ban sexual relationships between men, and Indonesia - the world's largest Muslim-majority country - has seen an increase in raids targeting LGBT+ people recently.

Dede Oetomo, one of Indonesia's most prominent LGBT+ activists and founder of LGBT+ rights group GAYa NUSANTARA, also questioned Clooney's comments. "Malaysia and Indonesia are larger entities and have some democratic processes that although not perfect, they work," Oetomo said. "Pressure from within is more possible in both countries, though it is frustratingly slow and protracted."