So, although the Romance Writers of America decided, after some soul searching, to continue to define romance as that sweet, sweeping feeling of insanity love between two people (rather than, as some members wanted, between a "man and woman"), Hyatt Hotels apparently doesn't feel the same.

Male/male romance novelist Laura Baumbach attended the Romantic Times convention in Houston last week, and found out that the host hotel, the Hyatt Regency Houston, had a problem with her books, her promotional material, and apparently, gay romance in general.

On her blog, Sensually Wicked Man Love (would I make that up? COULD I?), she wrote:

I write gay erotic romance and fiction. I write in a RWA accepted genre. I’m at a romance conference. My writing wins awards. My books are on best selling lists on both Amazon and B&N. My work is good! I own a small press that print publishes only gay erotic romance and fiction, MLR Press. But I couldn’t find my promo and that of the other gay work I represent anywhere.

[....] Everything with Manloveromance on it was missing .... the very kind but very flustered woman immediately dragged me outside into the hall and stuttered she would call someone to explain things to me. Not a good sign.

Baumbach spoke with Romantic Times staffer Sharon Murphy, who told her Hyatt staff had insisted on removing the materials because "businessmen" had complained. She also suggested that the materials were "more risque" than anyone else's, but a colleague produced several other apparently acceptable heterosexual romance promos, including:

a naked woman on her knees in front of a naked man, a woman with her naked buttocks pressed to a man’s naked groin and other items that had bared male chests, bared male thighs and such just like ours.

Since Baumbach wasn't satisfied with that explanation, Murphy called Jo Carol, Romantic Times event coordinator, who called in the Hyatt customer service manager who had made the decision to remove the items, Lance Barnes.

He arrived, briefly introduced himself while standing sideways to me, didn’t offer his hand in introduction, and never made eye contact with me. I made all the same arguments with him, showing examples of the other promo vs ours. He never mentioned the businessmen (that shouldn’t have been allowed in the conference area anyway) objection that Sharon had, but only stated it was 'his decision and that of his peers and boss' to remove it and if I replaced them they would be removed and taken.

His biggest objection was the poster of a single man sleeping in bed with a book and a sheet covering him. I've added it to this blog. Do you find it objectionable? I stated that single poster could have been removed, not all of the promo, so the M/M content must have been what he had issue with. He abruptly ended the brief chat with “I’m not discussing this with you.” Then left the room. This is Hyatt Customer Service.

Baumbach got a lot of support from her fellow authors:

I was vocal about the event. I told authors, I told publishers. If they will do this to me, they’ll do it to other authors. Word spread and by morning everyone knew about it. Support poured out of the woodwork. Authors of all genres took my promo and put it on their tables during the book signing on Saturday, especially the very supportive Kate Douglas, Lucynda Storey and Stephanie Burke.

At breakfast I ended up meeting two marketing experts who had witnessed the removal of my promo. They stopped the Hyatt employee and questioned it. The Hyatt employee stated he was just doing what his boss told him to do.

So, what's up with that? I wonder what the Houston Hyatt and Romantic Times will have to say about it in the morning when I give them a call?