Bridal Shop Turns Away Lesbian Customer

In the midst of planning a civil union ceremony with her fiancee, a New Jersey woman encountered a bridal shop manager who decided that her sexual orientation was grounds to drop her as a client.

Alix Genter told the Philadelphia Daily News that she found her dream dress after a bridal gown fitting Saturday with her family at Here Comes the Bride in Somers Point, N.J. She asked the bridal shop manager, identified as Donna in the report, whether the manufacturer could produce the dress in a lighter material for their ceremony next summer. Donna said she would get back to her briefly about her request.

Meanwhile, Genter filled out a form for the shop, indicating her name, the name of her spouse-to-be, and their wedding date. In the space that asked for the groom's name, Genter crossed it out, and wrote "partner," and then added her partner's name.

On Tuesday, Genter received a call from Donna, expecting information about the manufacturer and her dress. Instead, Donna told Genter that after realizing that she is a lesbian, she decided to drop the client.

"She also said that I came from a nice Jewish family, and that it was a shame that I was gay," Genter recalled. "[Donna] said, 'There's a right, and there's a wrong, and this is wrong.'" The manager also said that their ceremony was "illegal" and that the shop would not "participate in any illegal actions."

She told columnist Ronnie Polaneczky that Genter was just stirring up drama, but Donna will be meeting with the bride's parents in an attempt to reconcile the situation. It has not been indicated whether Genter will be at this meeting.