In the wake of Maryland’s brand-spanking-new marriage-equality law, a local trolley company has announced it will stop providing wedding transport rather than extend its services to same-sex couples.
Discover Annapolis owner Matt Grubbs (right) revealed he wouldn’t play the Trolley Song at any gay nuptials, according to the Baltimore Sun.
In a letter to a potential client, Grubbs complained, “the law exempts my minister from doing same-sex weddings, and the Knights of Columbus don’t have to rent out their hall for a gay wedding reception, but somehow my religious convictions don’t count for anything.” He maintains the change will cost him about $50,000 in lost business.
The customer, heterosexual Chris Belkot, zinged back: “It is your right to run your business any way you see fit, but let’s be honest here, you drive a trolley up and down a street. Not exactly God’s work.”
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Ooh, snappy rejoinder Mr. Belkot—are you sure you’re not gay?
Little-Kiwi
elsewhere in America, families are struggling through a Christmas without their children, who were senselessly murdered just a few short weeks ago.
but this man’s biggest problem is that Gays exist, and he hates Gays so much that he’d rather close his business than work with ’em, or for ’em.
wow. Delusional Privileged First World Problems, anyone?
2eo
@Little-Kiwi: Like all religious bigots, he genuinely thinks he has the weight of public opinion and morality on his side.
What he ignores is that religious fundamentalism is THE cause of ALL war in the world, and has been for over a century.
He also ignores that religion and morality are absolutely and completely seperate from one another, there is no inter-mingling, some morals were merely co-opted by religion, it has never happened the other way.
nieciedo
At Zeo:
I assume you’re not referring to World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the first Gulf War, or the second Gulf War, so which wars are you talking about caused by religious intolerance? The many wars fought by Israel, the Iran-Iraq War, the “war on Terror” and the like may have religious *rationalizations* but they’re all *caused* by imperialism and economic exploitation.
I can’t think of a single war in modern history *caused* by religion. I can think of more examples in early modern and medieval history where religion was *a* cause, but even then it was wrapped up with deeper political and economic causes.
2eo
World War II was started by the German Nazi catholics, Gulf wars and attacks in the Middle East are attacks by christianity on islam.
Afghanistan is a religiously motivated conflict. Vietnam was started by the christian french and carried on by the christian Americans.
It’s sad, it’s nearly 2013, many of us have moved past needing these shackles.
CaptainFabulous
@nieciedo: With Imperialism often comes religion. You rarely have one without the other. While wars of the past 100 years were not solely based upon religion, it has always been a large factor as part of the dominating culture. Or don’t you consider the attempted extermination of those of Jewish faith to be religiously-motivated, or the current wars in the Middle East to be at least in great part motivated by a interpretation of Islam?
randalaw
Is it just me, or does that guy look like the SNL Church Lady? Maybe it’s the just the expression of smug religiosity. Whatever, if he wants to shut down his business in the name of the RCC, have at it. You weren’t missed before you started your business and you won’t be missed now.
hyhybt
@2eo: That those who start a war are of a particular religion (at least nominally) does not mean that the war’s cause was religious. Unless you want to claim, for example, that the Nazis started WWII *because they were Catholic* (and despite the fact that so were many of the countries they overran) then they are irrelevant to whether religion itself is the cause of modern wars.
1EqualityUSA
Sounds like an opportunity for gays to start a wedding trolly business will soon be made available. Just don’t discriminate against heterosexuals, as it’s bad for business. This man has such gay face.
startenout
Don’t you think he is grossly underestimating the loss of business considering how many event planners may be gay or friends with gay people and won’t be using his services for weddings or anything else? Bigotry covered as religion. Disgusting.
MK Ultra
I’ve said it before. If only the Nazis had concocted a term like “religios freedom” to mask ther hatred they probobly would still be a force today. Oh wait. They are. This story is about one.