Small wonder that porn producers don’t look too kindly upon Phil Burress, the man behind CleanHotels. Unfortunately for them, they’re dealing with a smart and principled opponent. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Phil for many years, and he’s about the gutsiest, most tender-hearted person I’ve ever met. He works hard to protect kids, and his many initiatives and victories as president of Citizens for Community Values qualify him, in my book, for “Man of the Year.”
Because Phil is such a tireless fighter, he doesn’t merely list the hotels that refuse to show pornographic films. He leads a coalition of community groups that encourage the hotel chains that do offer such films to drop them. He also urges folks like you to report hotels that peddle smut.
Why should you care if you aren’t going to view the garbage? For one thing, pornography often proves highly addictive and contributes to many other problems that plague society, from divorce and domestic violence to prostitution and organized crime. In a paper presented to a special U.S. Senate subcommittee, Jill Manning, a social scientist and former visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, highlighted pornography’s many devastating harms, which are documented in a huge body of peer-reviewed research.
Another itsy-bitsy item to consider regarding sleaze-inns and whore-tels that peddle perversion: Do you really want to room next to a guy who’s just consumed hardcore sleaze? Do you want your wife or daughter walking by his door, or bumping into him in the elevator?
Fortunately, many hotels have opted out of the pornography business.
Omni Hotels is one of the biggest chains to care more about civility than dirty dollars. “We have had over 50,000 messages of support,” spokeswoman Kim Blackmon said. Among them was a traveling businessman who wrote: “Thanks for the taking away the temptation.”
The next time you plan to travel, use your wallet to cast a vote for decency. Visit cleanhotels.com and support the chains that care enough about their customers to realize that cleanliness means more than fresh sheets and a mint on your pillow.