A lesbian couple plans to file a complaint against a place specializing in wedding ceremonies for refusing to celebrate their own. The events occurred in South Africa, the only country on the continent to allow same-sex marriage.
Sasha Lee Heekes and Megan Watling thought they had found the perfect place for their wedding in April 2021. But the owners of Beloftebos Wedding Venue replied that because of their personal convictions, they refused to accept marriages of homosexual people.
A South African wedding venue is facing criticism after the owners declined to host a lesbian couple's wedding because of their Christian beliefs. https://t.co/HmTqbidTS5
- CNN (@CNN) January 21, 2020Gay marriage allowed since 2006 in the country
On Monday, the spokesman for the two women said that they were "shocked by the homophobic vitriol that was thrown in their face". "You may not be able to understand the pain I feel," says Sasha Lee Heekes on Facebook. “But Beloftebos' way of thinking is one of the insidious things that remain beliefs and ideologies that have contributed to human injustices. "
South Africa has allowed same-sex marriage since 2006. But Sasha and Megan are not the first to experience such a refusal. In 2017, another lesbian couple had experienced the same thing. An official of the South African Human Rights Commission said "we cannot in the name of religious freedom [...] discriminate in areas prohibited by law".
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