Pizzeria defends decision not to cater gay weddings amid LGBT backlash
The owners of a Tennessee pizzeria are standing by their beliefs after facing backlash for refusing to cater a same-sex wedding.
In a statement posted on Facebook Monday, the Tennessee-based Pizzeria Cortile acknowledged that, “Recently, we made the difficult decision not to cater a wedding due to our personal beliefs,” adding, “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 towards others.”
“This decision was not intended to harm or hurt anyone, and we are sorry for the pain this has caused for people who have been a part of our community,” the statement continued. “We recognize and hear the feedback from everyone who has reached out today. We hope with time we can find an opportunity to extend grace and listen to one another, and remember that while we may not always agree, we can still treat each other with love and dignity.”
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The owners of Pizzeria Cortile concluded by expressing gratitude for “the relationships we have built with you over the years,” adding, “We hope you will give us the chance to continue showing love to you when you come through our doors.”
While the Facebook post did not elaborate on the nature of the refusal to cater the wedding nor the “feedback” the establishment had received, The Chattanooga Holler shared an X post Monday featuring a screenshot of an inquiry sent to Pizzeria Cortile on Instagram about whether or not the business had “refused to cater a same-sex wedding.” The restaurant responded by declaring “thank you for reaching out for clarification, we do not cater same-sex weddings.”
The Chattanooga Holler cited its post about the Instagram conversation as an attempt at “letting folks not waste their time (or money).”
After word spread about the pizzeria’s position on catering same-sex weddings, Elizabeth Haley of The Seed Theatre took to Facebook Monday to encourage a boycott of the business and advised LGBT activists to reallocate the money they would spend on pizza, drinks and appetizers at the restaurant by making a donation to “local organizations who are supporting queer people” such as hers.
Haley also urged people to share screenshots of their donations to pro-LGBT organizations on social media and “tag Pizzeria Cortile so they know that your money is going directly to support queer folks instead of their bigotry.”
After the pizzeria confirmed its stance about not catering same-sex weddings, a business based in nearby Chattanooga announced it was cutting ties with the restaurant. In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday, the bookstore The Book & Cover said it was “ending its partnership with Pizzeria Cortile” because its “stance is not in keeping with our values as individuals and as a business.”
According to the bookstore, “It is vitally important to us that it is clear we treasure and respect the queer members of our community and celebrate the rights and love that they carry. We are committed to showing each person who visits The Book & Cover respect and care, and we believe affirming the love and humanity of folks is essential to ensuring that care is felt.”
Pizzeria Cortile is not the first pizzeria to find itself embroiled in the ongoing debate about who should have the upper hand in the conflict between religious liberty and LGBT activists.
In 2015 — as the U.S. Supreme Court was slated to hear arguments in a case surrounding whether or not there was a constitutional right to same-sex marriage and a Religious Freedom Restoration Act allowing businesses to opt out of providing services to same-sex couples if doing so conflicted with their deeply held religious beliefs — Memories Pizza in Indiana received national attention after a reporter asked the co-owner if the restaurant would cater a gay wedding, and she replied they could not because of their religious beliefs.
While the pizzeria invited its fair share of backlash, it also enjoyed a great deal of support from the American public. Within a week of the controversy making national headlines, the establishment raised more than $800,000 from those coming to its defense for standing by its convictions.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly sided with business owners who refuse to provide services to same-sex couples due to their deeply held religious beliefs. In 2018, the court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and demonstrated hostility toward the religious beliefs of baker Jack Phillips by penalizing him for declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding in 2012 when gay marriage wasn't even legal in Colorado nor nationwide.
More recently, in the 2023 case 303 Creative v. Elenisruling, the justices determined that the state of Colorado could not force a Christian website designer to create websites celebrating same-sex marriage.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
