Pizzeria owners in Tennessee received a barrage of hateful social media posts after they declined to cater a gay wedding.
Rumors apparently began to swirl recently that Justin and Amanda Jo Bennett — who own Pizzeria Cortile in Red Bank, Tennessee, just north of Chattanooga — would refuse to cater a same-sex wedding. According to a screenshot of a direct message shared by the Daily Mail, the establishment confirmed those reports: “We do not cater same sex weddings.”
On Monday, the owners took to social media to clarify their position. “Recently, we made the difficult decision not to cater a wedding due to our personal beliefs,” a message posted to the Pizzeria Cortile Facebook account said.
The owners then indicated they knew they would soon face backlash for those “personal beliefs.” “This belief comes from a place of personal conviction, one we know is not shared by everyone, and it is one we hold without judgment toward others,” the message continued.
The message also noted that the restaurant has served “people from all walks of life” and has attempted “to create an environment where everyone feels loved and respected.” The owners further expressed hope that others would respect their personal beliefs.
“We hope with time we can find an opportunity to extend grace and listen to one another, and to remember that while we may not always agree, we can still treat each other with dignity and love.”
‘Liberals want to shout love everyone and everyone needs to have their own beliefs, but they mean everyone except Christians.’
Since the Bennetts limited replies on that particular Facebook post, users inundated previous posts with thousands of messages, most of which accused the owners of engaging in wanton discrimination and “homophobia.”
“I prefer my pizza without a side of homophobia,” wrote one user.
“Imagine refusing money because of homophobia … in this economy is insane to me,” added another.
Others went further and called the owners “bigots.”
“There aren’t two reasonable sides here. Nobody asked you to be gay. Or promote any kind of message. They asked for pizza. And bigots refused. That’s the whole story. It isn’t any deeper. It is black-and-white discrimination,” said one.
“You can try to wrap this up in a pretty bow by using words like ‘our personal beliefs’, but what you are doing is discriminating against others. It is bigotry, plain and simple. Very, very disappointed in y’all,” said another comment.
“I hope your business tanks,” said one user, while another added, “Enjoy being broke soon.” Both included smiley emojis in their respective posts.
Even Hollie Berry, a former mayor of Red Bank, seemed to side with the leftists, taking to social media to post the city’s mission statement, which promises to be “welcoming” to “all” and to offer “excellent and efficient services,” Local 3 News reported.
However, others noted that the pizzeria is a private business and that the owners have the right to their personal views, just as LGBTQ+ activists do.
“The Supreme Court has ruled on this, and it is in fact not discrimination. You are free to make your own choices but so are they. Who are you to force someone else to share your beliefs but then expect them not to do the same?” one user wrote.
Yet another individual who claims to know the Bennetts personally defended the couple, describing them as “such a kind and sweet family” and insisting that those leveling the criticism “don’t truly know them.” The individual also called out leftists for their “hateful” hypocrisy:
“It saddens me that Christians get so attacked. Liberals want to shout love everyone and everyone needs to have their own beliefs, but they mean everyone except Christians.”
“In case you were unaware, if you own your own business, you have the right to do as you please.”
Pizzeria Cortile did not respond to the New York Post’s request for comment, and Local 3 could not reach the Bennetts for comment.
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