The Old Wooden Barn wedding venue in Hudsonville, Michigan. (Photo Credit: The Old Wooden Barn/Facebook)
HUDSONVILLE, Mich. – A wedding venue in a West Michigan farming community has sparked a formal complaint to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office over its policies on same-sex weddings.
The Old Wooden Barn wedding venue in Hudsonville, Mich. states its marriage policy clearly online:
“Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman and Himself, the Old Wooden Barn will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. Further, the staff of the Old Wooden Barn shall only participate in and host weddings between a man and a woman. We thank you for respecting our Christian family values.”
According to a local media outlet, the Holland Sentinel, the Surfus Foundation, an LGBTQ+ foundation based in Grand Rapids filed a formal complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office last month.
The Sentinel reported that the foundation feels the policy “is a clear violation” of the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act Expansion of 2023 and the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision in Rouch World vs. the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
In a letter to both parties, signed by Chris Surfus, the foundation requests “enforcement of laws against this and similar businesses across the state of Michigan that choose to create policies that discriminate against the LGBTIQ+ community.”
The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act was created to eliminate discrimination in employment, housing, public service and the use of public accommodations. In 2023, the law was amended to add sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression as protected classes.
The business owned by Mitch and Kelli VanOverloop told The Sentinel they were “discussing things further with their lawyer.”
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