To Avoid Gay Weddings, Firm Drops All Weddings

Washington-area Trolley company gives up revenue to avoid lawsuits
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 27, 2012 3:30 PM CST
To Avoid Gay Weddings, Firm Drops All Weddings
This screenshot from the Discover Annapolis Tours site indicates that the company is no longer booking weddings.   (Discover Annapolis Tours)

Matt Grubbs refuses to have any part in a same-sex wedding—even if it costs him $50,000 a year. Grubbs owns Discover Annapolis Tours, an old-fashioned trolley company often seen carrying wedding parties to their big day. But those trips will soon be a thing of the past: The company is shutting down its wedding business because Grubbs objects to same-sex marriage, and he fears he'd be sued for discrimination if he blocked only gay couples, reports the Baltimore Sun.

The company's website currently says only that it has stopped taking reservations, promising a "full explanation" by Jan. 1. But the company has reportedly been sharing its reasons with prospective clients, urging them to lobby state lawmakers for a religious exemption for wedding vendors. A straight groom offended by the "bigotry" of the move took it public. The company is Maryland's second wedding vendor to exit the industry over the state's recent vote to legalize same-sex marriage, says the Sun. (More Annapolis stories.)

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