Just days after a wedding venue in
Tennessee told a gay couple that they could hold their commitment
ceremony there, the venue reversed course, citing the state's ban on
gay marriage.
According to NBC
affiliate WSMV, Iraq war veterans Anthony Wilfert and Brian Blas
fell in love nine years ago while serving at Fort Campbell.
The men thought they had found the
perfect venue for their ceremony after taking a tour of Mint Springs
Farm.
“I made it clear from the get-go that
it was a same-sex ceremony,” Wilfert said. “He explicitly made
it clear that it was not an issue, that they would host that type of
ceremony.”
But within days, the couple received an
e-mail from the venue's owner: “Unfortunately, until same sex
marriage is legal in the state of Tennessee, we cannot participate in
this ceremony at our venue. I wish we could help, I truly do, but
our hands are tied in this situation.”
“It is a private venue,” Wilfert
said. “We purposefully chose a place that is not tied to a
religious organization for that reason, so to mention something about
state law is baffling.”
In a statement to the network, the
owner reiterated his decision: “We are deeply sorry that a staff
member of ours was unaware of our policy and truly understand the
disappointment of this couple. Our employee was simply trying to be
helpful to this couple who visited our venue after hours.”
“We only do weddings at our facility.
When we went into this endeavor, we knew that due to the nature of
our business, this situation would arise. However, Tennessee law
currently states that same-sex marriage is prohibited by the
Tennessee State Constitution. Because we only host weddings, we
cannot violate Tennessee law.”
The owner added that the decision “does
not in any way reflect or convey any personal feelings on this
matter.”
Wilfert said that it was “quite
deflating” to have fought in the military for the freedoms of all
Americans only to “come back to fight a whole new set of
obstacles.”
No, their hands aren't "tied" they are homophobes.
Just because it isn't legal for same sex couples to marry in Tennessee, doesn't mean a privately owned company can't host a gay commitment ceremony....who the hell do they think they are foolin'?
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