NC Wedding Venue Denies Lesbian Couple, Cites 'Christian Values'

A lesbian couple in North Carolina were turned away from a wedding venue that told them "we do not host same sex marriage ceremonies." The rejection came after one of the women mentioned that there would be an "other bride" in the celebration.

NBC News reports that Kasey Mayfield had been discussing wedding plans with a venue called The Warehouse on Ivy, located in downtown Winston Salem, when she received the email informing her that the venue would not accommodate the event. Her fiancee, Brianna May, then took to Facebook, where she shared a screenshot of the email.

"If you're wondering how wedding planning is going...thanks so much to the warehouse on ivy for letting us know we're not welcome," May posted.

The couple say they shared the news of The Warehouse in Ivy rejecting them in order to "hopefully save people the time and, kind of, hurt and energy, from getting rejected based on our sexual orientation," and they are not thinking of pursuing any legal remedy.

But even if they wanted to resort to a legal challenge, North Carolina has no laws in place to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination. Indeed, in 2016 the state legislature notoriously reacted to the city of Charlotte enacting an anti-discrimination ordinance earlier that same year by banning local municipalities from putting such protections in place. That action backfired badly, generating pushback that cost the state millions of dollars in lost revenue, battered its image, and was credited for helping Roy Cooper defeat incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory in 2016.

The ban on local anti-discrimination ordinances expired at the start of this month, but mayors in North Carolina did not seem eager to take up such ordinances for the protection of their LGBTQ constituents.

The couple also expressed a desire to change that legal situation, however, saying they are "urging our friends to email legislators to help try and pass discrimination laws for LGBTQ people."

NBC News noted that President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to prioritize passage of the long-proposed Equality Act. The most recent version of that legislation, which was first introduced in 1974, passed in the House last year, but has been stuck in the Republican-controlled Senate ever since. If the Equality Act were to become law, it would offer LGBTQ Americans in every state protection from discrimination in public services, housing, credit, and other areas of everyday life.

The wedding venue told NBC News in an email that, "Although we love and respect everyone in our community, their own decision making and beliefs, we also strongly believe in our Christian values." The Warehouse on Ivy has taken down its Facebook and Instagram pages, NBC News said.

The brides to be, however, have received an outpouring of support and generosity after their Facebook post went viral.

"We've gotten so many wonderful recommendations for other vendors and venues, and we've had people offering services," May told NBC News.