Unmarried couples

[Tony-and-Angie0]

Hello to all my fellow Airbnb ers.

My wife and I are Christian and we've always told our children that they were not allowed to have boys or girls in their rooms especially over to spend the night. We are at a crossroads as we want to honor our God and not be a part of the worlds thinking by having our home be a place for people to meet up and well you know..

We are relatively new to this and do not want to have unmarried people using our home for a place to be intimate outside of marriage. We're trying to think of the best course of action to set this boundary.

Any thoughts?

[Matt-And-Jeff0]

You may want to familiarize yourself with airbnb's anti-discrimination policy which can be found on their website at https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/483/what-is-airbnb-s-anti-discrimination-policy

This anti-discrimination policy also includes not discriminating based on familial status.  It also states that if other airbnb hosts feel that another host is discriminating they should report it. 

[Nancy67]

If you want to put your money where your mouth is, when it comes to tolerance, become an Airbnb Host. You will know in a month if you can cut it in a global, market culture and brand.

I have started to use the word "inclusive" in my description, as it made me sad that many gay/mixed race couples, (I live in the US South where there are many misconceptions)  ask somewhat cloaked questions to find out if we are a tolerant home.

We have hosted every race, religion, culture, sexual orientation and creed. I love it. Being able to provide a safe, beautiful enviorment for someone to rest easy and relax while traveling, regardless of who they are has enhanced our lives exponentially. 

The gratitude and warmth from my guests, when they realize we are going to treat them with kindness and respect,  has renforced  my faith that we really all can live together in this big world, regardless of what we believe.

You do what you have to do, however, don't be surprised if even many "married" couples see your house rules and exclude you as a host candidate-- Just because they are married, doesn't mean they are tolerant of intolerance.

[Swee0]

[Inappropriate Content]

[Linda108]

I would prefer that the comments in the host community refrain from personal attacks but something about your post, Tony and Angie, has struck a chord with the host community. 

There are those who believe that if you have a public business, you should accept the public with all the diversity.

I think you might investigate another platform that will embrace your criteria rather than distain it.  I am sure there are those guests that will feel a degree of comfort to rent a place consistent with their beliefs.

While I do not agree with your beliefs, I support your right to have those beliefs so I wish you well.

[Dawn33]

I believe that you should write your religious convictions and conditions in your listing and let potential guests decide if they want to stay with you or not.

In this free country, we are allowed to live with our beliefs. Guests are allowed to make up their minds if they want to stay in your home or if they do not, but it is only fair that your beliefs and judgments are laid out extremely clear in your posting.
Your beliefs and judgments can't be made an afterthought and a "Gotcha!" after the guest books.

I am very openminded. To serve that open mind, I need to believe that you have every right to decide your hosting comforts as long as the guests are made well-aware of them.

Just as you can choose worthy guests, guests are the ones who will initially seek out Airbnb accommodations and can decide if they can or want to meet your conditions.

[Diana102]

Hello,

I have hosted over 50 trips in just under a year and this situation has not come up.  The probable reason is that I only allow one guest per room.  I just started out that way because the first guest room is located on the same floor as, and in between, my bedroom and my daughter's bedroom.  The bed size is only a full and I am a light sleeper.  So I didn't want to be kept awake with talking or other noises from the guest bedroom next door.  The money is less than I could get for a couple but it is better to have assurances that I will get a good night's sleep.  My other room is plenty big and a lot more private but I just haven't bought a bigger bed yet so it is also still a single because of the twin bed.

I would recommend you go to having only single guests so you won't have to break the antidisrimination rules.  But you will still have the occasional transgender guest.  I have had great experiences hosting transgender persons as well as every other orientation.  The issue of their gender/sexual preference never comes up.  We are just nice to each other and all goes smoothly.  I suppose there is a bit of the "don't ask, don't tell" unstated policy going on.  Since it is none of my business (if there is no noise keeping me awake) it is just not part of my hosting experience.  Easy to do with just the one guest per room.

Good Luck,

Diana

[Sandra126]

re transgender you would not really know anyway, I know loads of women who get called ''sir''. They are not. They just have short hair. How about, treat people as people? Do unto others?

[Louise47]

I'm with you sandra and everyone else on this.... I feel so sorry with same sex couples that, before they book with me they feel they have to state the fact and ask if it is okay with me.  I don't care if your black blue red orange transexual, same sex or even just a man or woman.. Just be a nice person and pat my cat and dog nicely and I'm a happy chappy......It's sad I live in a world where same sex couples must still have to state what they are.  The church I grew up in told me to be nice to everyone and treat them the way I would like to be treated... not just to the people I agree with.. I'm glad I never went to your church.  Please don't blame religon on your narrow mindness.... Airbnb is not for you and I would be very careful what you put on your ad as I'm a student Lawyer and trust me someone will take offence and you may end up out of a lot of money.

On a postive note.... I love it that so many people took offence which means the world is changing and for the better.......Makes me feel all warm all over..

[Sandra126]

Just wondering, Jesus never married, did he?

[Lizzie]

Hello,

I just wanted to share the below with you, it has been referenced in a couple of other topics already here in the CC, for future reference please keep in mind the following regarding Airbnb:

Airbnb’s mission is to build a community of belonging. We believe that by sharing our homes, meeting people from across the world, and experiencing different cultures, we can foster the understanding that leads to that community of belonging.  

We published our Standards and Expectations, which are an expression of our community’s shared values, and were created based on what hosts and guests have told us they view as acceptable conduct and behavior when using Airbnb. A foundational value in these Standards that relates to your particular question is the principle of Fairness; specifically the section on Discriminatory Behavior or Speech. On Airbnb, this value requires that members of our community “follow all applicable laws and not treat others differently because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, disability, or serious diseases”.

While we recognize that places may have varying laws about treating people differently because of their race, nation of origin or other characteristics, we think this behavior is detrimental to building our community of trust and belonging. If we become aware that a member of our community has explicitly violated this standard, adverse action may be taken on their account,including potentially removal from the Airbnb community. (Read Airbnb’s anti-discrimination policy here)

We know that our mission is ambitious and understand the global challenges we may face in working towards it. With that said, we remain committed to making Airbnb one of the most open, trusted, diverse, transparent and accepting communities in the world. We strongly encourage you to read our most recent blog entry on this very issue and how Airbnb is addressing it.  Most importantly, we encourage you to continue to explore ways to interact with people from all backgrounds to find the common threads that bring us together.

Thank you for sharing your constructive thoughts here. I am going to close this thread now.

Lizzie