David Cooley, the owner of The Abbey,
has banned bachelorettes from celebrating their upcoming nuptials at
the bar until gay marriage is legal.
“We love our straight girlfriends,”
Cooley said in a statement. “But it's also a slap in the face to
my customers and my life that we can't have that same celebration.”
The West Hollywood bar and eatery,
which promotes itself as the “best gay bar to bring a straight
friend to,” has twice been named the “Best Gay Bar in the World”
by all-gay cabler Logo's TripOut Travel.
“Every Friday and Saturday night,
we're flooded with requests from girls in penis hats who want to ogle
our go-gos, dance with the gays and celebrate their pending
nuptials,” Cooley added. “They are completely unaware that the
people around them are legally prohibited from getting married.”
“Over the past 22 years, The Abbey
has been a place that accepts everyone, gay, straight, lesbian,
transgender, bisexual and everything in between. We love our
straight girlfriends and they are welcome here, just not for
bachelorette parties.”
The bar is also urging other gay-owned
establishments to join them in banning such celebrations until
marriage equality is a reality.