Gay, Gay Marriage, Lesbians, New Jersey, Weddings

'No Dress for You!' A New Jersey Bridal Boutique Goes 'Gown Nazi' on a Lesbian Bride-to-Be

Now that our assistant editor, Staci Zaretsky, is a member of the bridal class of 2012 (or 2013, we shall see), she can commiserate with the woes of her fellow brides-to-be. And in this case, she can't even begin to imagine what she would do if she was denied the dress of her dreams simply based on the person she loves....

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Last week, I referenced my boyfriend when writing about marriage. Today, I’m writing about marriage again, but now I get to reference my fiancé. Seriously, how cool is that?

I’m extremely excited about our engagement, but being a future bride is a tough job (even for someone with a Type A personality). There are just so many things involved in planning a wedding. We’re talking about things like the venue, the flowers, the band, the dress… good lord, especially the dress! The dress is actually my number one priority right now; in fact, in order to avoid looking like the Stay Puft marshmallow bride, I hired a personal trainer.

But now that I’m a member of the bridal class of 2012 (or 2013, we shall see), I can commiserate with the woes of my fellow brides-to-be. And in this case, I can’t even begin to imagine what I would do if I was denied the dress of my dreams simply based on the person I chose to love….

That is reportedly what happened to a New Jersey bride-to-be when she attempted to purchase a dress from Here Comes the Bride, located in Somers Point on the Jersey Shore. Alix Genter, a Ph.D. candidate in history at Rutgers University, is planning a summer 2012 wedding, and she was in search of the perfect dress.

Genter thought she had found one, but she just so happens to be a lesbian. And when Donna, the manager of Here Comes the Bride, discovered that fact, she refused to sell Genter her chosen gown. The Consumerist has more:

After selecting and trying on several dresses, [Genter] found one that she wanted and placed and order for it, thrilled to have found her perfect dress. When she filled out the order form, she crossed out the word “groom” and replaced it with “partner,” and wrote the name of her wife to be.

[Genter] was surprised later when the store owner called her up to inform her that the store wouldn’t be working with her.

“She said she wouldn’t work with me because I’m gay,” [Genter] told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “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.'”

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The store’s manager went on to say that Genter’s wedding was “illegal,” and that the store doesn’t associate itself with “illegal actions.” Oh really? It doesn’t? I’m guessing that Donna isn’t familiar with the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which apparently prohibits actions like hers.

This kind of thing drives me absolutely insane. It is just so fundamentally unfair and ridiculous. How can you deny a woman a wedding dress just because you don’t agree with her sexual orientation? Do you agree with making money? Because as far as I know, a lesbian’s money is just as good as my money. And from the looks of the storefront at Here Comes the Bride, they can use some more money.

We’ve written previously about same-sex couples being denied the right to public accommodations, and same-sex couples have sued over such denials. Will Genter be suing over this?

At this point in time, we do not know, but she may not need to. After the story broke, the masses took to Yelp to exact their revenge. Here Comes the Bride now has a one-star rating. If you have the time, I suggest you check out the comments on the store’s Yelp page. It’s a very entertaining read that rivals even some of the comments we receive here at Above the Law.

Whether or not this mess ends in a lawsuit, I submit that the store change its name to Here Comes the Bigotry. It’s much more fitting.

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Store dresses down bride for being a lesbian [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Bridal Store Refuses To Sell Wedding Gown To Lesbian [Consumerist]

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