A bridal shop in Pennsylvania that is owned and operated by a Christian family is facing the wrath of gay rights activists after it refused to provide a lesbian couple wedding gowns, saying that it would break God’s law.
The incident initially gained publicity on Facebook after an unidentified woman claimed WW Bridal Boutique refused her services upon finding out that she was marrying her lesbian lover. The bridal shop, which apparently operates on an appointments-only basis, told the woman concerned that she would not be given an appointment, since the business does not currently cater to same-sex couples.
Victoria Miller, owner of the shop, later clarified that providing the lesbian couple wedding gowns for a sanctified marriage would in fact break God’s law.
Now, the town council is deciding whether to propose legislation that will prohibit the business from refusing services to gay and lesbian couples since such practices are not banned in Bloomsburg currently.
According to Miller’s lawyer, Al Luschas, his client has a liberty interest if she refuses to participate in any process that violates her honestly and firmly held religious beliefs.
The incident has sparked a huge debate across social media, including Google+, where most commenters have been condemning WW Bridal Boutique for its decision.
“It is 2014. When I go to a bridal boutique I expect it to be stringently religious (well maybe not all flavors of religion, but you know what I mean... OUR flavor). Imagine my surprise when the bridal boutique offered gowns combining more than one fiber? It was absolute chaos. HELLO… have you never read the Old Testament? Forbidden! When I inquired whether they had any that were not intended for harlots, they simply asked me to leave. Be warned, the devil himself alters dresses here...,” wrote Mia Knecht sarcastically.
The recent incident brought to light another where the management of WW Bridal Boutique had refused services to G. Andrea and her cross-dressing husband.
Andrea commented, “My husband and I tried to give WW Bridal our business, but when the management found out that we needed to order a wedding gown for my husband, and dresses for the groomsmen, they would not allow us to order from them claiming that such a thing would ‘break God's Law.’ So they do not want money from people who enjoy cross-dressing. They insisted that we ‘must be gay,’ since we wear clothing of the opposite sex. Very strange and rude management.”
However, some people have also been showing support for the boutique and congratulating them for standing up for their beliefs.
“Kudos to WW Bridal Boutique for running a great bridal business and for standing up for their beliefs! They provide great services for women who are getting married... albeit not for a bunch of freaks and their non-thinking, supposedly well-educated sycophants - whose only reading on human sexuality comes from a Facebook feed or from Twitter - who choose to ‘redefine’ marriage. Why don't you dumb people practice the tolerance you supposedly preach? What a bunch of idiots you are,” wrote Sammy Samba.
Similarly, Shannon Cila said, “We live in a FREE country? But are forced to provide services for ceremonies we don't subscribe to? Would they be forced to provide a bridal gown with a pentagram embroidered on it for a Wiccan ceremony? Or a sized 4T gown for a little girl in the future when pedophiles are granted the right to marry for ‘love’ based on the precedent set by homosexuals… Or will they be asked to fashion a doggy gown for the woman who married her dog? This is not supposed to be a tyranny- stop being Nazi tyrants and shop at another store if you don't like their policies. As a U.S. citizen, this tyrannical militant homosexual bullying make me sick! Grow up and let people live in peace.”
Photo Credit: NY Daily News
