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A restaurant has refused service to a Christian organization over their anti-abortion and same-sex marriage beliefs in Virginia.
CBS News reported that the German-inspired eatery Metzger Bar and Butchery refused to host a private event for a conservative religious group in an effort to protect women and members of the LGBTQI+ community.
The Richmond restaurant issued a statement to Instagram, revealing they rarely refuse service and maintains they are an ‘inclusive establishment’.
They added: “Recently we refused service to a group that had booked an event with us after the owners of Metzger found out it was a group of donors to a political organization that seeks to deprive women and LGBTQ+ persons of their basic human rights in Virginia.”
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The restaurant said they would only deny customers that make other patrons and staff feel ‘uncomfortable or unsafe’.
They added: “All of our staff are people with rights who deserve dignity and a safe work environment. We respect our staff’s established rights as humans and strive to create a work environment where they can do their jobs with dignity, comfort and safety.”
In a follow-up post, the restaurant thanked residents and loyal customers for supporting their decision.
They also included an image of a cocktail named ‘Cracks in the Foundation’ and said they would donate all sales proceeds to Equality Virginia, an organization advocating for LGBTQI+ people.
Meanwhile, the Christian group, ‘Family Foundation’, also took to a blog post titled ‘We’ve Been Canceled Again’, to voice their grievances over Metzger's refusal of service.
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In the post, they detailed how their reservation was canceled last minute, leaving them ‘scrambling’.
They wrote: “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 group compared the current climate to the 1950s and early 1960s, when American Americans were denied service due to their race.
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Yikes.
They added: “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.
"As we stand on the front lines of this fight to protect and advance religious freedom for all Virginians, we invite you to stand with us," they said.
UNILAD reached out to Metzger Bar and Butchery and Family Foundation for comment.
Topics: News, LGBTQ, Food and Drink