Homophobia at the Premier Inn

ThumbRemote

curlygirl1971 wrote: »

I don't like the idea of a kid searching on 'I think I'm gay, how do I tell my parents' for example, and not being able to get advice/reassurance if they feel at that point in there lives there's is no where else to go for it.

Since at least three of the links you conveniently omitted to mention are gay and lesbian support organisations, this is hardly a valid reason.

Out of interest, why did you omit to mention those links off google in your post?

ThumbRemote

Thunderxx wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I own a lesbian social network with around 100, 000 members.

18 months ago I stayed at the Premier Inn at Heathrow and was annoyed and upset when I was unable to get onto my website because their firewall blocked the keyword Lesbian stating that it was "Harmful to the young public".

There is absolutely no adult content on my website.

I had several emails and calls with their complaints department who said that it would be changed.

I hadn't been to another Premier Inn until Friday night when I took my partner to London for her Birthday.

I needed to make a small change on my site that I could not do from an Apple device so I used the public computer provided by the Premier Inn.

To my dismay any site that has a keyword of lesbian is blocked because it is "Harmful to the young public".

I feel that it is out-dated homophobia. If keywords belonging to other minority groups were banned I think lawyers would be suing for discrimination!

What does anyone else think and has anyone any advice on how I can try to get this changed?

Thanks in advance,

Jane

It seems Premier Inns safe browsing software is something of a blunt instrument. Better software is available.

Have you contacted someone like Stonewall, who may have more experience in putting pressure onto businesses?

wallbash

Better software is available.

And will the OP be paying for the upgrade?
If not , why should the other uses of the establishment

BJV

I know filters are a plain but I would still much rather have them. I got my first home computer in 1992. Dial up so slow but hey thought I was so swish. My 8 year old niece came over to do her homework and wanted to do some research on it.


She was doing a topic on London and wanted to know more about Big Ben. Well lets put it this way Ben !!! well he was big! I was so embarrassed.


The are millions of websites so it would be impossible for humans to police all of them. Search engines are not humans instead they just have set of rules phrase's and key words that they look for and block if needs be.

Herbalus

Well, these filters are ridiculous...............until you get children on your computer, and then you want everything blocked!

When I was in Spain, the municipal wifi blocked the BBC homepage. I later found out there was an article that included the word 'rape' in the title.

I also think this thread title is a potential libel suit waiting to happen. Premier Inn are not in the least homophobic.

ThumbRemote

wallbash wrote: »

And will the OP be paying for the upgrade?
If not , why should the other uses of the establishment

If depends if blocking any search containing the word 'lesbian' could be considered a breach of the equalities act. I have nowhere near enough knowledge of the act to know whether that's the case - hence my suggestion she talk to Stonewall.

(But of course complete ignorance of the law hasn't stopped most people on this thread giving their view!)

bod1467

ThumbRemote wrote: »

Out of interest, why did you omit to mention those links off google in your post?

Google.com vs Google.co.uk?
Some of the links were Google adverts, which may be different for different people?

Valli

ThumbRemote wrote: »

If depends if blocking any search containing the word 'lesbian' could be considered a breach of the equalities act. I have nowhere near enough knowledge of the act to know whether that's the case - hence my suggestion she talk to Stonewall.

(But of course complete ignorance of the law hasn't stopped most people on this thread giving their view!)

Since 'lesbian' will not be the only keyword blocked then it's not discrimination at all.

ThumbRemote

Valli wrote: »

Since 'lesbian' will not be the only keyword blocked then it's not discrimination at all.

So Premier Inn could stop black people staying there, as long as they stop ginger haired people too?

bod1467

ThumbRemote wrote: »

So Premier Inn could stop black people staying there, as long as they stop ginger haired people too?

Irrelevant comparison argument ... PI have not stopped lesbian/gay people from staying, just as they haven't stopped black or ginger-haired people staying - the discussion relates to internet access.