Concerns regarding the Manchester Hyatt & the 2010 APA Convention

SPSSI (Division 9 of APA) and many other Divisions are concerned about APA’s decision to use the Manchester Grand Hyatt for the 2010 APA Convention.  The concerns largely revolve around the direct involvement of this hotel’s namesake owner in supporting Proposition 8 which abolished same-sex marriage in California.  SPSSI’s governing Council feels strongly that using the Manchester Grand Hyatt is inconsistent with SPSSI’s core values and mission, as well as inconsistent with APA’s vision to be “an effective champion of the application of psychology to promote human rights, health, well being and dignity.” Consequently, it voted to take action to more fully reconcile its APA Convention activities with its values and principles.  Specifically, SPSSI has requested that its programming and Divisional activities NOT be scheduled for the Hyatt and also has devoted a substantial portion of its Convention programming to LGBT issues. Furthermore, SPSSI has called on the APA to take a set of actions, from providing more information to APA members about this situation to pursuing contract modifications with the Hyatt to developing a multi-year plan (with a commitment of resources) for incorporating issues of social justice, including LGBT rights and marriage equality, in future APA conventions and activities.

Letters from SPSSI and other APA Divisions
In addition, we want to fill you in on an ongoing letter writing campaign related to this situation.  In comparing notes with colleagues from other Divisions, we felt that it was important to coordinate efforts, knowing full well that there is diversity of opinion about how to approach the Hyatt issue.  We worked closely with Division 27/SCRA in reaching out to other Divisions, not necessarily to agree on a common set of actions, but to communicate our concerns to APA leadership in a collective fashion. Below you will find letters from 12 different Divisions that were submitted to the APA leadership on Feb 4th. The collection of letters also was sent to all Division Presidents for the purposes of informing them of the letter writing effort and inviting broader participation.  We encourage you to read through the letters and to share them with colleagues.

Finally, we recognize that other Divisions not represented in this collection might have already written a letter or communicated directly with APA about this matter.  Division 51, for example, previously requested that none of its Divisional activities occur at the Hyatt.  If you know of other Divisions not represented in this collection that might have written a letter or that subsequently take a position and write a letter, we would be interested in learning about them.  We will attempt to keep you informed about APA convention activities and about this situation as it evolves.  In the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to contact either one of us.

Maureen O’Connor (moconnor@jjay.cuny.edu) & Allen Omoto (allen.omoto@cgu.edu)
SPSSI/Division 9 Representatives
APA Council of Representatives