Gay Couple Rejected By Wedding Venue Puts Them On Blast

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September 22, 2021, 1:26 pm

Engaged Nashville couple Mike Gill and Coty Heaton have spent the past few months wedding planning. The couple became engaged on July 10th and has recently been looking at venues local to them to celebrate their big day.

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Coty Heaton / Facebook

In August, Gill spoke with Jackie Daniel, owner of event venue Barn in the Bend in Madison, Tennessee. Daniel offered information and they scheduled a tour of the space. Approximately an hour later, however, Daniel emailed Gill again to say that Barn in the Bend refuses to host same-sex marriages.

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Ironically, up until this point, Daniels’ professional email signature had included the line, “We offer same-sex marriages only.” It was updated that day to instead read, “We do not offer same-sex marriages.”

Gill posted on Facebook expressing his disgust for bigotry and to spread the word about Daniels’ exclusionary practices.

Mike Gill / Facebook

Then, some news media outlets picked up the story, and word began to spread.

TMZ picks up the story of “BARN IN THE BEND” denying a wedding to a gay couple in MADISON, just outside NASHVILLE. https://t.co/59lkZ8vHT3

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) September 3, 2021

Many social media users offered their support to Gill and Heaton.

They also used their platforms to express disgust with Jackie Daniel and Barn in the Bend. Some also expressed frustration with the culture that still creates these sorts of hateful problems in the year 2021.

One local musician, who wrote a song called “Barn in the Bend,” because he got married there, made a Facebook post of his own, urging his fans and listeners to follow his example and donate to the Trevor Project and other LGBTQIA+ organizations in Daniels’ name.

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Meanwhile, several other wedding venues got wind of the story. Many of them reached out to Gill and Heaton to offer their nuptial services at great discounts. The happy couple ultimately has settled on The Grove at Williamson Family Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

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*First Published: September 22, 2021, 1:26 pm