The Western Cape town of Stanford has condemned the Beloftebos wedding venue’s discriminatory policy of refusing to host same-sex weddings.

On Friday, the Stanford Association of Tourism and Business told its members that its Management Committee had decided “to suspend the membership of Beloftebos Wedding Venue, and remove all marketing of this wedding venue from our office and website immediately”.

Beloftebos made headlines this week after it informed Capetonian Alex Thorne and her partner Alex Lu that they could not marry at the venue. Owner Coia de Villiers confirmed to Thorne that, “we only host heterosexual marriages”.

Philippa Murray, from the Stanford Association of Tourism and Business, explained that both its own and the country’s constitutions, “dictate that the association must prevent and prohibit unfair discrimination and harassment; promote equality; and eliminate unfair discrimination.” Read more via Mamba