Michigan Orchard Stops Offering Wedding Ceremonies to Avoid Same-Sex Nuptials

A cider mill owner in Michigan has decided to stop holding wedding ceremonies at his venue to avoid the possibility of holding sex-same weddings, which he says conflict with his religious beliefs. (Photo: Stocksy)

It’s been more than 14 months since the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on marriage equality, but the details of what that means for individual wedding vendors is still under debate. In the latest instance of a same-sex wedding running into the religious objections of a business owner, the proprietor of a Michigan orchard has decided to stop holding wedding ceremonies altogether.

In October 2014, Caitlin Ortis visited the Country Mill, an apple orchard near Charlotte, Mich., to see if she and her fiancée Liane should hold their wedding there. Though an employee told them on the phone that same-sex weddings could be held there, when Ortis visited, she discovered otherwise. Owner Steve Tennes told the Detroit Free Press that due to his religious beliefs, he didn’t feel his venue was the right fit for the couple. They wed elsewhere last fall.

Last week, Ortis took to Facebook to remind friends of Country Mill’s practices.

“As fall approaches for my Michigan friends and family, when choosing a cider mill to go to, please remember that THE COUNTRY MILL in Charlotte MI refused to let Liane and I have our wedding there because of how we identify,” she wrote. “Please support a local cider mill that does NOT discriminate against LGBTQIA+ folks or any folks for that matter. Please feel free to share this post.”

It was in fact shared 120 times as of this writing, and many took to the Country Mill’s Facebook page to complain.

In response, Tennes decided not to hold any future wedding ceremonies at the orchard, except those already under contract.

“After prayerful consideration, we will no longer book any future wedding ceremonies at our orchard,” reads a statement on the orchard’s Facebook page. Tennes clarified to MLive.com that he would still rent out his barn for wedding receptions.

The current antidiscrimination law in Michigan does not protect LGBTQ people, and the state is one of several in which a so-called Religious Freedom Restoration Act is pending.

In states with discrimination protection in place, some vendors have still gone to court to protest that they have a right to refuse to provide their services for same-sex weddings. In July, Colorado Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of cake baker Jack Phillips, who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, citing his religious beliefs, and is now taking his case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the meantime, Tennes isn’t the only one to decide that it’s better to forgo a significant portion of his income (the Country Mill holds an average of 45 weddings a year) in order to avoid serving gay couples. An Iowa gallery and a Maryland trolley operator made headlines when they announced they would no longer offer wedding services. After the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of New Mexico photographer Elaine Huguenin, who had been sued for refusing to photograph a lesbian wedding, she simply stopped doing weddings.

Interestingly, it took no such court battle for the Country Mill to make this decision. It seems social media pressure was more than enough, as he told MLive.com that some of comments he’d received were “extremely troubling.” For her part, Ortis told MLive.com of Tennes’ decision, “it doesn’t solve the issue.”

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