A gay Airbnb host living with HIV was left “unsettled, confused, and distraught” after a guest filed a complaint against him, suspending his account, and left a blood tests leaflet “prominently” on his windowsill when checking out in a “horrific” experience of apparent homophobia at the start of Pride Month. Philip Baldwin, a 38-year-old human rights activist and writer who is “open and proud” about his sexuality, said his Airbnb guest checked in to the spare room of his London apartment on May 22 and was initially “very friendly” and “chatty”.
The following day, the guest enquired about Philip’s work while sitting in front of his laptop – they discussed current affairs, as well as his writing and involvement in radio. Just 30 minutes later, Philip said the guest’s “attitude towards (him) completely changed” and he started to avoid “any form of contact” – he only engaged in conversation via texts and “did not touch” the freshly cleaned towels he provided in the shared bathroom.
Philip believes the guest searched his name online, which would have listed articles and his social media profiles, which say he is “gay and living with HIV”, however he “tried (his) hardest to assume that this wasn’t anything to do with (his) sexuality or HIV status. I didn’t want to start making assumptions about him, but I was getting the impression that he thought any form of contact with something that I touched could be dangerous,” he said.
