(OPINION) A Virginia restaurant canceled a Christian group’s event reportedly less than two hours before the start time last week, and the venue said the reason was because the eatery’s staffers — many of whom are LGBTQ+ — felt “uncomfortable” and “unsafe.”
The Family Foundation — a Richmond-based outfit affiliated with Focus on the Family — said Metzger Bar & Butchery, also in Richmond, “refused to service our pre-reserved event, leaving us scrambling just moments before” the start time Wednesday night.
The Family Foundation — which advocates for “policies based on biblical principles that enable families to flourish at the state and local level” — added that “for weeks, we had planned a gathering of supporters and interested people in a private room to fellowship and receive an update on our work. About an hour and a half before the event was set to take place, one of the restaurant’s owners called our team to cancel the event.”
The Family Foundation said its vice president of operations explained to the restaurant that “guests were arriving … shortly” and requested an explanation. “Sure enough, an employee looked up our organization, and their wait staff refused to serve us,” the Family Foundation added.
More from the group: Welcome to the double standard of the left, where some believe Jack Phillips must be forced to create a wedding cake as part of the celebration of a same-sex ceremony but any business should be able to deny basic goods and services to those who hold biblical values around marriage.
At The Family Foundation, we believe individuals in private business should not have to violate their convictions, which for some Christians means not celebrating what God has declared sin (Romans 1:32). However, most, if not all, faiths not only allow for the provision of services, like food, to those with whom they disagree, but they also encourage it.
The Family Foundation noted that after being denied service, it was able to “pivot to another restaurant in time to hold our event” and that “our witness will not be diminished, and we will not be silenced. We will speak out when we see this type of religious discrimination occurring in Virginia.” (SOURCE)
