David Cooley, the owner of gay bar The
Abbey, has denied that banning bachelorette parties is
discriminatory.
Cooley's 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.
Last week, Cooley
banned bachelorettes from celebrating their upcoming nuptials at the
bar until gay marriage is legal.
He appeared on CNN
to discuss the new policy.
Bachelorettes
parties being held at The Abbey are “hurtful to me, being gay, as
well as my clientele, that we cannot have that same type of a
celebration,” Cooley said. “It's not [that] I'm discriminating
against the women coming in, it's just a ban against bachelorette
parties.”
“If you're
banning the heterosexual, you know, pastime of bachelorette parties
from happening in your club in West Hollywood, on a level it is
discrimination,” anchor Brooke Baldwin stated.
“Well,
it's a ban against just the celebration itself,” Cooley responded.
“I've been discriminated. Gay men and women have been
discriminated all their lives. We would love to have the same
equality, the same rights that every straight person has where they
can have a celebration and go out and have a party knowing that this
is their day to celebrate before they make that big commitment of
marriage. Unfortunately, as a gay man I don't have them rights, and
that's hurtful. So for the women coming in having that bachelorette
party in a place knowing that most of my clientele being gay doesn't
have that same right it's hurtful.” (The video is embedded in the
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