Texas Forest Country Weddings in Huntington, Texas is a venue that has everything you could want to throw the perfect wedding.
There’s a mansion on a lake, a wedding chapel, an outdoor country church, a pavilion with a wooded backdrop and a bed and breakfast. What’s missing from this ideal location is a welcome sign for LGBT couples.
Despite all its picturesque beauty, Texas Forest Country Weddings will only book “traditional heterosexual weddings,” according to a spokesperson interviewed by LGBTQ Nation. The spokesperson went on to say, “We don’t turn away gays at the property, we just don’t host same-sex marriage ceremonies.”
That no-gay-wedding-policy was made perfectly clear by the venue’s proprietors, Bob and Genie Flournoy, in an ad they recently placed in the Christian publication, Journey Devotional Magazine.
Bob and Genie Flournoy
In that advertisement, the Flournoys proclaim, “With a commitment to God’s will and God’s way and the stewardship of this incredible property, we are proud to offer its use to those who are committed to a traditional family. Our Christian faith demands that we not participate in same-sex, transgender or any other perversion of marriage. If you disagree with our stance on marriage, please respect our Christian belief and have your wedding elsewhere.”
Bob Flournoy explains in a blog entry on his venue’s website that he had a dilemma when a gay couple asked to have their wedding at his property. He declined, saying that his “Christian belief” required him to say no.
“We cannot participate in an act that we feel is so wrong individually and as a Nation,” Flournoy writes in the blog. “To do otherwise will defile my home and the honor of my word and God’s word. The gay community is suing bakers, photographers, venue owners and anybody that refuses to assist them in their alternative life style. I know they intend to come after me but I refuse to be intimidated by their threats. They can hang me from the tallest tree but I will not give in.”
The City of Huntington, where Texas Forest Country Weddings is located, is in Angelina County about 130 northeast of Houston. It has a population 2,118.
