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BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
The state of New Jersey bars sexual orientation discrimination in places of public accommodation, generally considered services that are open to the public, such as businesses, hotels, restaurants, and doctor's offices.
But according to Reuters, last Saturday, when Alix Genter from Highland Park tried to purchase a wedding dress from the Here Comes the Bride bridal salon of Somers Point, she was refused. The store's manager found out that Genter was marrying another woman, and called the upcoming wedding next July an "illegal action.”
According to Gothamist, store owner Donna Saber learned Genter was gay because she had crossed out the word "groom" and written "partner" on the paperwork.
Saber did not deny the account. Saber said that writing the word "partner" was basically a provocation, needing "to show that she's different...They get that way."
"I was devastated. I called her a bigot; I said, 'I am a happy person and you are a miserable person.' Then she hung up on me," Genter said.
Ronnie Polaneczky of the Philadelphia Daily News said Saber seemed kind of sorry about the incident, mostly because people found out about it from the negative review Genter wrote on the Yelp business website. Saber said the woman who'd referred Genter’s family to Here Comes the Bride will try to arrange a meeting between Saber and Genter’s parents.
"It is unlawful for a person to refuse to buy from, sell to, contract or otherwise do business with an individual because of the individual's race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, age, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or disability or because of race, creed, national origin or other protected characteristics of the person's spouse, partners, employees, business associates, suppliers or customers. It is also unlawful for any bank or financial institution to deny credit or particular terms of a credit transaction (such as loan rates) to an individual on any of these bases."
I've been told to cite my source. Easy enough. NJ (dot) gov (Yahoo will not allow links to be posted. Google what is in quotation marks, it will be the second link.)