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BOOM! Studios has decided to turn their third anniversary event, the "BOOM! Drink Up" already scheduled at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, into a gay pride party in response to the $125,000 donation the hotel's owner made to the organization behind California's upcoming anti-gay marriage amendment referendum.

"BOOM! had previously announced a Drink Up at the Hyatt bar several weeks ago," said BOOM! Studios' Chip Mosher. "The Drink Up is our annual anniversary party that is open to fans and pros alike—no RSVP, no guest list. Last year was the first year we did it and we had a great time and a great turnout."

"When I found out that the owner of the Hyatt had given a large sum of money to fight gay marriage in California," continued Mosher, "we decided immediately the best way for us to protest was to make our party not just the the BOOM! Drink Up but the BOOM! Drink Up / Gay Pride Party!"

The Manchester Grand Hyatt owner, "Papa" Doug Manchester, donated $125,000 to Protectmarriage.com, the organization behind Proposition 8. During an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, he explained his donation as a reflection of his strong Catholic faith to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Despite this, Manchester said that his hotels and restaurants would still welcome gay and lesbian clientele.

News of the donation has sparked lively discussions on comics blogs.

Christopher Butcher mentioned the donation on his site, Comics212, and urged people who'd already made arrangements to stay there to find creative ways to express their displeasure with Manchester's donation. Butcher also said he would be avoiding the Hyatt altogether.

Heidi MacDonald posted an article entitled Don't Drink at the Hyatt, on The Beat and suggested that since "the bartenders are so slow that getting more than one drink in any one evening is pretty much impossible," patrons might simply buy liquor elsewhere and sneak it in.

"I look forward to having a larger than usual LGBT contingent at the Drink Up," said Mosher. "I will be getting pictures taken of the diverse crowd and be sending those photos along with a letter to the owner of the Hyatt to remind him who his customers are!"

The Manchester Grand Hyatt is independently owned. The Hyatt company itself was named one of HRC's "Best Companies for GLBT Equality 2008" and the Advocate has named it as one of the top 10 gay-friendly employers in the U.S.

Charles "Zan" Christensen was the Founding President of Prism Comics. He lives in sunny Seattle with his fiancé Steve and their two cats Noblet and Geoffrey.

Prism Comics promotes the works of the LGBT community in comics. It does not implicitly endorse any other material or products associated with those works. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s).