Out talk show host Ellen DeGeneres is
the latest celebrity to call for a boycott of hotels owned by the
Sultan of Brunei.
Starting April 3, gay sex and adultery
will be punishable by death in Brunei. Hassanal Bolkiah in 2017
celebrated his 50th year as Sultan of Brunei, a Southeast
Asia nation. He is considered one of the richest persons in the
world.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday,
DeGeneres pleaded with followers to boycott Bolkiah's nine luxury
hotels, two of which are located in California.
“Tomorrow, the country of Brunei will
start stoning gay people to death,” DeGeneres wrote. “We need to
do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of
Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up.”
As of late Wednesday, DeGeneres' post
had received more than 105,000 likes and 11,000 comments.
George Clooney previously wrote an
op-ed in support of the boycott and Elton John said that he agreed
with the actor.
(Related: George
Clooney, Elton John call to boycott Sultan of Brunei's hotels over
anti-gay law.)