Standing firmly on his social justice principles, John Legend confirmed today that he will not be attending a pre-Grammys party hosted by entertainment magazine L.A. Confidential. The star-studded celebration was set to be massive spectacle at Los Angeles's Beverly Hills Hotel, but Legend, who graced the cover of Confidential's most recent issue, made it a political decision, objecting to the "horrific anti-women and anti-LGBT policies approved by the hotel's owner, the Sultan of Brunei."
Brunei is a tiny sovereign state bordering Borneo in Southeast Asia, and its leader, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah recently passed strict sharia law that would sanction the stoning of women and LBGT Brunei citizens, in some cases fatally. Billboard reports that the Sultan's policies infuriated Legend, who wants no part of any soireé held under the roof of a misogynist, homophobic leader. The R&B singer's rep told Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter that Bolkiah's laws "are heinous and certainly don't represent John's values or the spirit of the event. John does not, in any way, wish to further enrich the Sultan while he continues to enforce these brutal laws."
While the Beverly Hills Hotel has been boycotted by numerous human rights activists and socially-conscious artists since the Burnei Sultan's new laws were rolled out in April of 2014. L.A. Confidential appears to have been aiming to "re-open" the hotel's main ballroom, and has already added Common, Diplo, Paul Oakenfold and many other stars to the party's guest list. Whether or not Legend's absence signals an early end to the party altogether remains to be seen, but given Legend's brilliant work on the civil rights drama Selma, along with his Wake Up! collaboration with The Roots it's encouraging to see the mega-star taking a clear stand for human rights worldwide.
