Owner Of Historic Wedding Venue Stirs Controversy With Same-Sex Marriage Ban

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- The Star Barn Village is among the premier wedding venues in all of central Pennsylvania, but folks from the LGBTQ community are not allowed to get married there.

David Abel, owner of the Star Barn Village at the Stone Gables Estate in Lancaster County, says his point is not to discriminate against anyone.

Abel, a religious Catholic, says he simply can not allow a ceremony on his property that runs counter to his core Christian beliefs.

We received a statement from the Star Barn reading, "We do not discriminate against any person or group. All are welcome at events we sponsor at Stone Gables Estate. We reserve the right to restrict our participation in events that are not God-honoring as set out in our Core Values."

Not surprisingly, detractors say this is textbook discrimination.

Action News spoke with Steven Dinnocenti, who first brought this policy to light with a scathing Facebook post.

Dinnocenti says he had been a fan of the Star Barn after attending several functions there, but now says he will never step foot again on that property as long as the gay wedding ban remains in place.

He says singling out the LGBTQ community is no different than banning marriages involving people of differing ethnicities, races, or spiritual beliefs.

A protest is being planned for this Thursday when a Lancaster County tourism organization is scheduled to meet at the facility which is located in Elizabethtown.

The Star Barn Village at the Stone Gables Estate is a privately owned venture. Officials from the facility say most of their profits are donated to charities benefiting abandoned and special needs children around the world.

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