Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GRIMES, Iowa (AP) — The owners of a gift shop and bistro who refused to hold a same-sex wedding at their Iowa business have stopped doing weddings altogether.
Betty and Richard Odgaard (OHD'-gahrd) say they have settled a complaint filed by the two gay men who were seeking to get married at the Görtz Haus (GURTS' hows) in Grimes for $5,000 and have dropped their civil rights lawsuit against Iowa authorities.
Lee Stafford and Jared Ellers filed their complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, saying the Görtz Haus could not discriminate based on religion since the former church is a public venue. The Odgaards said the gift shop and bistro have always served gays and lesbians, but that providing a space for the wedding would have violated their religious beliefs as Mennonites.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Iowa since April 2009.
Sound: Upcoming
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
