NJ Bridal Shop Turns Away Lesbian Bride

THU AUG 18, 2011 AT 08:16 AM PDT
NJ Bridal Shop Turns Away Lesbian Bride
byAdam B



http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110818_Ronnie_Polaneczky__Store_dresses_down_bride_for_being_a_lesbian.html


After picking out her dream bridal gown at a Somers Point bridal shop, Alix Genter received a call from the store's manager, who said she wouldn't work with Genter because she's a lesbian.
(Sarah J. Glover / Staff Photographer)

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"She said she wouldn't work with me because I'm gay," you recalled. "She also said that I came from a nice Jewish family, and that it was a shame I was gay. She said, 'There's right, and there's wrong. And this is wrong.' "

She also said - and you have the voicemail to prove it - that what you were planning was "illegal" and that "we do not participate in any illegal actions."

"I was devastated," you told me. "I was crying. I called her a bigot; I told her, 'I am a happy person and you are a miserable person.' Then she hung up on me."


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please read the rest:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110818_Ronnie_Polaneczky__Store_dresses_down_bride_for_being_a_lesbian.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/18/1008228/-NJ-Bridal-Shop-Turns-Away-Lesbian-Bride?via=siderec

the entire world.

In this economy, you'd have to think that any small business would be zealous for every customer it could get. I have to respect the shop's owner, who will soon be out of business, but will have the comfort of her bigotry to keep her warm and pay her bills.

Dimwit. Maybe it's a Jersey thing, though.

This is why businesses must be regulated and why libertarian fantasy land ideas of business doing what is best for business does NOT work.

Why did the shop keeper turn down the sale? In a recession economy it is stupid to turn down any sale. But she did it, Not because it was good for business, but because she wants to control people. She wants to sell her gowns but discriminates against those who have differing opinions from her. She wants to control how, when and where people use what they buy or rent from her. It is very similar to the Jim Crow laws that prevented African-Americans from eating at the counter.

Many business owners are bigoted, racist, homophobic scum. They try to manipulated social norms by picking and choosing who they serve. They are hoping others do the same thing. This creates a a norm. If I'm a business owner and I don't discriminate, I get pressured by the other bigots to do as they are doing. In a free society this can not be allowed.

Can you imagine a society that allows business owners to discriminate against any customer they don't like? A customer would be very limited in what they can and can not buy not because of how much it costs, but because they have the wrong texture hair, wrong colored eyes, are too fat, too thin, are the wrong religion, race or sex. It would be a minefield for the average person. Can I go in this store? "Oh wait they wont sell to people with glasses." Can I eat here? "Oh wait they wont serve Muslims." That is the kind of society the Libertarians and Rand Paul want.

Only seems fair. White is for purity after all.

do they strictly avoid using mixed-fiber cloth? And make sure that the reception is a shellfish-free zone?

Keeping kosher is strictly optional among reform Jews and even among some conservative congregations. Does that mean they don't "really care about Judaism?"

I was reacting to the line in the article ""She also said that I came from a nice Jewish family, and that it was a shame I was gay." The reform Jews I know don't think it's a shame to be gay. My thought, admittedly snippy, was that if the shop owner feels the need to impose some portion of an ancient moral code on her customer, then she perhaps should impose the full weight of it on herself. Although doing so still wouldn't provide any standing for passing judgement on others, I doubt that she wants to do so.

Even as a straight person I wouldn't want to give them my money. Now I know they're bigots and I can avoid them like the plague they are.

This shop owner is really dumb.

I wonder how much longer "Donna" will have a job.

If she's the owner of the salon, she richly deserves to have her business fold for her bigotry.

based on ambiguous and irrational whims, the economy in NJ must have completely recovered.

Once you get out of Atlantic City and Pleasantville, most of the rest of Atlantic and northern Cape May County is Alabama.

Maybe they should get a new sign and change the name of the business to:

"Here comes the straight Bride and her 100% male groom in a rented tux, ONLY!"

Here Comes The Bride, Somers Point, NJ

 

:rofl:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/here-comes-the-bride-somers-point

:rofl:

Those are some great pix posted on the yelp page! Solidarity! :D

Edited to add: Alix the bride looks stunning in that gown! Her partner is sooooo lucky! Love and happiness to them both! :toast:

gay rights. She looks little enough that a boycott could be disastrous.

The shop owner has lost a sale - hopefully many sales. Instant karma.

She's cutting off her nose to spite her face. Moron.

Did that article actually say Donna is meeting with the bride's PARENTS? Donna is an idiot and a bigot and I hope this young lady's parents rip her lungs out. Does she plan on chastising the parents for not raising their daughter "right"?

Have a beautiful day, Alix. No dress, or lack of one, can ruin it for you.

Here Comes the Bride
272 New Road
Acme-Kmart Somers Point Plaza
Somers Point, NJ 08244 spotthebun@yahoo.com


http://www.herecomesthebridenj.com/

Idiots.

what poor business sense. besides being a bigot and a poor excuse for a human why owuld the owner not sell to lesbians. after all its a chance to sell 2 dresses :)

I don't care if you want to kiss and show affection to your partner in public. :)

I don't care if you wear different clothes than I do. (although some of you should never, EVER wear a speedo or two piece...(including a fat old fart like me, its still your right :) )

I don't care if you speak differently than I do. :)

I don't care if you are attracted to someone I am not. :)

I don't care if your religious views and values are different than mine. :)


I DO CARE When People, :mad:

ANY People, use their unsubstantiated, unprovable, magical, mythical faith as a basis of their moral compass on how to deal with others...or to make unjust laws that apply selectively to some and punish others.

INSTEAD of using GODS GREATEST GIFT to Humanity...

Our ability to REASON to RATIONALIZE and to REEVALUATE.

Call me Jesus's little Socialist... I Don't Mind. :)

period of time

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?q=here+comes+the+bride+somers+point+nj&cid=3567087446833858258

Beyond the bigotry, these people really need to get with the current century - to have a business today and think that the same old racist or bigoted remarks that they used to get away with won't come back to bite them in their ass is stunningly stupid (not that the lady's that brilliant to begin with to hold the beliefs that she does)

Oh, and Perry, Bachmann and Romney have all signed on to that pledge to "create a government commission to investigate people being harassed for standing up for traditional marriage" - so all those posters leaving comments could wind up having to deal with all that. Wonder how these staunch Constitutionalists managed to skip over that bothersome free speech part..


edited to fix the link

"Karria ‎ - Jul 8, 2011
Worst experience I ever had and I was dealing with the owner (Donna). When the gown came in and everything was done she did half heartedly apologize but then said I thought you were one of those foreigner. That was her excuse for being such a witch!!!! The stress of dealing with her was so horrible. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. She is a miserable person and is in the wrong business.
35 out of 35 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful? "

I noticed they're playing luther vandross music on their website. (both ironic and offensive)

Anyone know who owns the rights to his music at this point? Might be worth sending them an email if the rights aren't expired.

Wondering when did her personal views fall out of favor with the public...

How about they have always been wrong...

Backlash won't just come from the consumer end of this. Suppliers could decided to not do business with her, either.

It sounds like the store owner doesn't know how to run a business.

I worked briefly in accounts receivables at a place that dealt with big corps from Walmart and Bass Pro Shops, to little places like tackle shops and gas stations.

All these places played the same payment game, putting it off as long as they could, claiming shipments never arrived and forcing me to track down shipping paperwork, bills of lading, delivery confirmations.

That's just how business works. Your walmarts can pull that shit, cause they are buying in huge quantities. So the suppliers will dedicate a researcher like me to find the paperwork. But a little boutique? Not worth the suppliers time after a while. They can't pull that shit for long.

Add that in with this place going up against GLBT civil rights, operating in the fucking fashion industry and being homophobic? Good luck getting dresses on the racks.

(I realize you've agreed with my initial point, I'm just fired up and stating more of the obvious.)

There was a local bridal store in my area that went out of business in very dramatic style. The media got involved because so many customers were upset - dresses never arriving, store unable to explain why, no refunds, etc. It turned out that the owner bought the store on a whim. She had no business experience, no retail experience, just thought it would be fun to run a bridal salon. She never paid her vendors. She took her customers' deposits and used that money to pay the rent, the electricity, her salary. So the vendors stopped fulfilling the orders, and when the customers showed up to pick up their clothes they weren't there. She was quite open about all this to the news media - she didn't seem to see anything wrong with it. She was totally clueless. When she finally went out of business she owed thousands of dollars to customers.

I suspect that this salon is being run by a similarly clueless person.

NOT