The Broadway Avenue, a wedding venue in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said it will not allow same-sex couples or transgender people to get married at their site.
Same-sex couples will not be allowed to get married at a new Michigan wedding venue, and its owners say their stance is because of their Christian faith.
The Broadway Avenue in Grand Rapids posted pictures of its first wedding on June 21, but came under fire in the weeks that followed due to the venue prohibiting marriages of LGBTQ couples.
The owners of the venue, Nick and Hannah Natale, recently addressed some of the backlash in an Instagram post.
“Our business is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication and is a reflection of who we are, and the values and beliefs we hold from our faith in Jesus Christ,” the owners said in their post. ”As a result, we would like our business to remain true to our Christian faith and this includes marriage.”
Asked to clarify its policy, The Broadway Avenue said in the comments, “The two people that are getting married at our venue must be a man and a woman.”
Interviewed by WOOD-TV, the couple also said transgender people will not be allowed to be married at their venue.
“Our decision is not rooted in hate towards the community. It’s just our belief on marriage,” Nick Natale told the TV station
The venue’s Instagram post has hundreds of comments and thousands more on Facebook, including many by wedding photographers and planners who have criticized the policy.
Others have left negative reviews for the new venue on Facebook.
“Don’t open a public business if you’re going to discriminate against people,” one person wrote on Facebook.
Another commenter called their values “disgusting, outdated, homophobic and discriminatory.”
Demonstrators gathered outside the venue on Monday, July 11, to protest the policy, WXMI reported. Images from WZZM show many of them wearing rainbow colors, with one woman waving a “Love is love” flag.
“If you’re going to be serving the community with a service, it should be for everybody,” Jessica Krebs, who helped organize the protest, told WXMI.
A Change.org petition has also been created asking the Grand Rapids city commission to enforce a municipal code, which made it public policy that people should not be discriminated based off their sexual identity and gender expression.
The Michigan Supreme Court is already handling a similar case after a wedding venue refused a same-sex couple and another business refused to serve a woman who is transgender.
Despite many disagreeing with the policies of their business, the Natales said they will not change their stance, according to WOOD-TV.
“We believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Hannah Natale told the station. “Those are our beliefs, what we grew up with and that’s how we run our house, how we run our marriage. So now that we’re opening a business, we are going to continue that.”
Many people are siding with The Broadway Avenue and have applauded the venue for standing up for what they believe in.
“There are a bunch of bad people leaving negative reviews due to their bigoted attitudes toward other people’s beliefs,” one man said. “Good for The Broadway Avenue to stick to biblical views instead of being threatened and bullied to not.”
“They treat everyone with respect but they hold strong to their Christian values … and that’s OK!” one woman commented. “It’s OK if a business doesn’t believe the same things you believe in.”
* Article from: The Kansas City Star
