Monday, December 10, 2012

Cutting Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

While the majority of the country seems to be leaning closer and closer to marriage equality, we still have those tiny pockets of discontent that are head-snapping, foot-stomping, and cutting off their noses to spite their faces rather than accept the inevitable: gay people are getting married to gay people.

With the first legal, same-sex marriages in Maryland planned for January 1, one company, Discover Annapolis Tours, will stop doing weddings rather than cater to The Gays. And while there is still a "weddings" page on their official website, a brief note says the company no longer does weddings and promises to explain more by the first of the year.

Matt Grubbs, the company owner, says, “There’s lots of different sides to it.” But he did note the side that included some drivers and tour guides who don't necessarily share his beliefs on same-sex marriage.

Grubbs never officially announced his decision to stop doing weddings because of marriage equality. Rather, the story broke after a couple planning to marry in Annapolis researched transportation options and learned of the company’s change in policy, and notified the website.

A Facebook page--and don't you know every single thing that happens in the world today results in a newly created Facebook page--drew some 200 comments, some critical and some defending Grubbs’ right to make a business decision based on his convictions.

“The initial fervor has kind of vanished,” Grubbs said, also acknowledging that he hadn’t heard of any other businesses getting out of the wedding industry as a result of the same-sex marriage law.

Under the Civil Marriage Protection Act—passed by lawmakers this spring and upheld by voters on Election Day—ministers and religious institutions are not required to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies. But there are no such exceptions for wedding-related businesses and existing laws on nondiscrimination in public accommodations would apply in cases like this.

Carrie Evans, executive director of Equality Maryland, the state’s leading gay rights organization, declined to comment on Discover Annapolis Tours’ decision but she did say that this was the first Maryland business she'd heard of that is limiting its services based on the new law. Mostly she has heard from wedding businesses eager to market their services to same-sex couples.

It's funny that these businesses owners don't see their decisions to deny services to gay and lesbians couples is the same thing as businesses who denied their services to Black people back in the day. it's discrimination.

But a part of me, a small part, kinda wishes they could deny their services as long as they publicly post a sign on their business, their websites and all their advertisements, which says "We don't cater to the LGBT community."

Or more simply, "Straights only."

And see how that uproar works out.


11 comments:

  1. Takes a lot of needless energy to keep up that kind of discrimination.

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  2. Anonymous1:52 PM

    I have no problem with him ending all marriage related business. It is his right.

    In these instances, I always what to know if they also refused marriage business to other religions? To couples where one or both has been divorced? Has either parented a child outside of marriage? Has the woman had an abortion? Is either guilty of killing or taking the lords name in vain or dishonored their mother or father or both?

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  3. if any business posted a "str8 only" sign on their business, then I would take my business elsewhere.

    discrimination is wrong, ALWAYS wrong. I guess mr. grubbs needs some education upside the head.

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  4. Anonymous1:59 PM

    He's free to do what he wants to his business, just like I'm free to spend my LGBTQ dollar wherever I like. But to come out and say he won't do marriages at all because he won't do same-sex marriages? Hey, he's got the right to run his business into the ground. Let him.

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  5. I have no problem with him getting out of the marriage cartage business. Guests and members of wedding parties are among the messiest clients that chauffeurs deal with, anyway. And I don't see what the fuss is - he looked factors, and rather than risk a lawsuit for failing to treat all customers equally, he got out that side of the business. He's not just refusing to do same sex weddings, he's not doing any wedding business.

    Now, the bigger news is that opens up a WONDERFUL business opportunity for someone who wants to embrace wedding parties and make some money - this is the story.

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  6. Well,
    I have a sign like that on my blog:
    "IF YOU ARE:
    -RACIST
    -SEXIST
    -HOMOPHOBIC
    -OR AN ASSHOLE
    DO NOT COME IN!"

    Is this the same thing, I ask myself?

    I guess I know what I'll be mulling over at cocktail time tonight!

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  7. Let's hope business owners that have this attitude quickly realize that it's bad business that will ultimately become no business at all.

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  8. He has a right to refuse to cater to groups of people, but still--who the hell is he to look down his nose anybody? I hope he comes to rue the day he made this dumb decision!

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  9. Now where will all those wedding parties vomit?
    Like Cookie says it's a brilliant business opportunity for someone with the stomach for it!

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  10. Thank Princess. Business abhors a vacuum, someone with "drive" (eh, hmmm) and direction needs to go and lease one of the phoney "Lolly the Trolly's" (as they are called in the wedding business) and start raking in the cash that this other guy is throwing them. And I guarentee it, once he sees how much the new guy is making, "Mr. I Don't Want to Have to Tell a Driver Who He Has to Drive Around" will be hitting himself over his stupidity.

    Success is the best revenge!

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  11. He'll get his just just desserts sooner or later. I'd just love to be there when the law shoves it down his throat.

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