A number of wedding chapels in Las Vegas, including the Elvis Chapel, are refusing to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies
A number of wedding chapels in Las Vegas, including the Elvis Chapel, are refusing to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, reports The Washington Post.
After a federal appeals court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage in Nevada was unconstitutional, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority produced a full-page same-sex marriage ad with the tagline “Now you can say ‘I do' to one more thing here.”
Despite a state public accommodations law prohibiting venues from discriminating based on sexual orientation, a local television channel found that several chapels are nonetheless refusing to marry same-sex couples.
Dolly Deleon, owner of the 24-hour Vegas Wed Chapel, said that her Christian faith would not allow her to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies:
“I would be a hypocrite if I said I'm a Bible-believing person and yet I would perform marriage that I believe is solely against God's law.”
However, according to Tod Story of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, wedding chapels – as opposed to churches and places of worship – are not covered under the Public Accommodation Law of Nevada. For-profit wedding venues that turn away same-sex couples can be charged with a misdemeanor.
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