Matt Grubbs is quitting the wedding game altogether to avoid same-sex clients, and he’s doing it legally.
The owner of Discover Annapolis Tours, Matt Grubbs is willing to give up $50,000 a year in revenue if it means he won’t have to allow the use of his old-fashioned trolleys for same-sex weddings. The Baltimore Sun reports,
He decided to walk away … instead of compromising his Christian convictions when same-sex marriages become legal in Maryland in less than a week. And he has urged prospective clients to lobby state lawmakers for a religious exemption for wedding vendors.
Mr. Grubbs however, couldn’t have done it any other way without facing and more than likely losing a string of discrimination lawsuits. An attorney for the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, Glendora Hughes said,
If they’re providing services to the public, they can’t discriminate who they provide their services to.
Although there hasn’t been an official announcement by Discover Annapolis Tours, the wedding section of the company’s webpage states that they are ‘no longer taking reservations.’ Mr. Grubb did inform several prospective clients of his intentions, and it was one of those clients, a groom who was so outraged by the ‘repressive bigotry’ he made it public.
Although I don’t agree with Mr. Grubbs’ so-called Christian stance on same-sex marriage, I do respect that he is willing to lose a significant income to stand up for what he believes in. Mr. Grubbs may be a bigot, but at least he’s not also a hypocrite.
Do you think wedding vendors should be granted religious exemption to avoid having to cater to same-sex weddings?
Picture: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr