A Maryland businessman opposed to gay marriage has abandoned his lucrative wedding business rather than have to cater to same-sex clients.
Matt Grubbs, whose Discover Annapolis Tours shuttled wedding parties around on old-fashioned trolley cars, will lose $50,000 a year in his bid to avoid possible discrimination lawsuits, according to the
Baltimore Sun.
Maryland is due to make same-sex marriages legal next week.
"We're a Christian-owned business, and we are not able to lend support to gay marriages," Grubbs wrote to one prospective client.
“And as a public accommodation, we cannot discriminate between gay or straight couples, so we had to stop doing all wedding transportation."
Equality Maryland, a gay-rights group, told the Sun that Grubbs’ decision appears to be an isolated case of a business owner exercising his rights.
"As long as he doesn't discriminate against other people, he's free to do whatever he wants to do, including withdrawing his business from the industry," said executive director Carrie Evans.
The Maryland law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, also stipulates that employers in the Old Line State must provide the same benefits to employees in a same-sex marriage that are given to straight workers.