An Airbnb host has been suspended from the accommodation giant's platform after a gay Midland couple said they were barred from booking a stay because of their sexuality. Richard James, 30, and Fernando Martinez, 32, said they were ridiculed and even called 'criminals' by a potential host.
The couple, from Shrewsbury, said the incident happened just 24 hours after two men were stabbed outside a London nightclub in a homophobic attack and was another sign that LGBTQ+ rights were 'going backwards.' The couple urged Airbnb to perform more thorough background checks into those it hosts on its platform. Airbnb said it was 'committed to combating all forms of unlawful bias, discrimination, and intolerance from our platform' and had suspended the host while investigations continued.
"We were going out for our friend's birthday and were looking for somewhere local to stay for the night," Mr James told BirminghamLive. "We messaged a host and told her we were gay before booking - which we always do out of courtesy.
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"To our shock she replied 'no thanks' and then proceeded to laugh at us and even called us criminals. We couldn't believe it was happening.
"If we hadn't told her we were gay, who knows what could have happened to us? People will say 'book somewhere else' but they don’t understand the impact on your mental health and sense of wellbeing - it makes you feel dirty.
![The couple have been together for over a year.](https://i2-prod.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article27542159.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_crop-airbnb.jpg)
"As far as I’m concerned this is breaking the law," said Mr James. "It makes me question whether Airbnb is carrying out adequate checks into its hosts before they sign up to the platform.
"Airbnb needs to be held accountable for who it allows to host. It could have really serious consequences for our community if a bad host does something to someone.
"You're at your most vulnerable when you're asleep - Airbnb needs to make sure hosts’ homes are safe and that it has carried out adequate checks. It's as serious as life and death."
![The exchange between the couple and their Airbnb host.](https://i2-prod.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article27542074.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Untitled-design.png)
Airbnb said all hosts must agree to the company's Non-discrimination Policy, Community Standards and Community Commitment policies which require users to treat each other 'with respect and without judgement or bias.' It said that since 2016, it had removed more than two million people for violating the policies.
A spokesperson said: "Discrimination has no place on Airbnb, and we reached out to the guest to provide support as soon as we were made aware of this issue. The host has been suspended from the platform while our specialised team thoroughly investigates this matter."
Have you been affected by this? Do you have a similar story to tell? We'd like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing nathan.clarke@reachplc.com