Australian bridal magazine goes out of business after refusing to feature same-sex weddings
Nov 20, 2018
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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White Magazine, one of Australia’s biggest bridal magazines, got under fire after refusing submissions that featured same-sex couples. After a fierce backlash, the magazine has lost the sponsors and now it’s going out of business. The founders Luke and Carla Burrell have reportedly made this choice in order to stay true to their Christian beliefs.
Same-sex marriage was voted legal in Australia in December 2017. The Burrell’s write in a statement that they have been asked repeatedly ever since why their magazine hadn’t featured all couples. They describe the magazine as “secular” but add that, as publishers, they are Christian.
Wedding photographer Lara Hotz shot three covers for White Magazine. Back in August, she told the media that their decision made her feel “extremely hurt.” Other than being a wedding photographer for the past 14 years, she is in a same-sex marriage herself, BBC reports. Therefore, White Magazine decision has made her feel “personally undervalued, unsupported and confused,” as she told ABC.
Hotz added that White Magazine did work with members of the LGBTQI community. However, they reportedly failed to represent same-sex weddings. Consequently, a number of advertisers withdrew their sponsorship. Some of them had the “fear of being judged,” and the others did it “in protest,” according to the founders. As a result, the magazine is not economically viable any longer and it’s going out of business.
The founders have issued a statement regarding their decision, and the response was mixed. Some comments were harsh, calling them out for being “homophobic.” The others were supportive and expressed their regret for the shutdown of White Magazine.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time that homosexual couples or individuals get discriminated in the wedding industry. A few months ago, two wedding videographers refused to shoot a same-sex couple in order to stay true to their beliefs. Also, a gay photographer was fired from maternity shoot after the client discovered that she was gay.
In my opinion, gay couples deserve to be respected just like any other couples. Also, I’m not Christian, but I know that not all Christians are automatically against homosexual couples. Being religious doesn’t automatically make someone less tolerant. Now, I guess that the founders of the magazine have the right to choose what they want and don’t want to feature. However, it came down to a choice between staying true to their beliefs and running a successful bridal magazine. Apparently, they couldn’t have both.
[via BBC]
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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21 responses to “Australian bridal magazine goes out of business after refusing to feature same-sex weddings”
I would like to applaud this couple for remaining true to their beliefs in the face of losing their business because of all the crazy out there.
Being Christian is not an excuse for discrimination. It is called being a dick..
Adrian J Nyaoi y do
?. Love it when bigots get their comeuppance. Hopefully someone more tolerant will buy the magazine at a steal and be more inclusive with what they feature.
Tyler Jared Carl intolerant against being discriminated against is bigotry? Lol come on man gtfo.
“How dare you be intolerant of my bigotry, I’m being persecuted by being prevented from persecuting others”
Tyler Jared Carl not everything should be tolerated. Intolerance to slavery ended slavery. Intolerance to the crimes against humanity by the nazis is what ended the nazis.
Not all beliefs and ideas hold equal currency in the marketplace of ideas. Sorry but if a person’s religion tells them to hate and discriminate against people who have done nothing to hurt them, then their religion is shit and they don’t deserve any tolerance from the rest of the society that has matured enough to eat at the adult table.
?
Tyler Jared Carl me. Lol
Tyler Jared Carl no argument from me there at all. Unless they are working in a publicly funded office like that one lady refusing to give out marriage licenses. She should either give them out or find other employment that her religion does not have ethical issues against. If it is a private business yeah they can do what they want. If thier company does not have an active stance on the issue, while under that employment in my view they have no right to exercise discriminstion.
My comments are referring to the “intolerant left” idea. That the left are bigots because they are against discrimination. (Ie walmary) or any level of first responder or healthcare fields.
I am very intolerant against racists, bigots, etc. I am proud to be intolerant against bad ideas that hurt other people, but to state that intolerance is equal to actively discriminating against minority groups requires some mental gymnastics to reconcile.
It’s a shame they let their hate cost them their business, and probably cost a lot of people their jobs. Aren’t weddings supposed to be all about love? Maybe they were in the wrong business.
religious people also have right.. please respect we too..
Khairul Anuar yes the right to believe in your private life.. As soon as you are a business, game changes you got to obey state laws weather you like it or not..
I cant wait this day, when it will be also not ok, when someone who will refuse to photograph wedding of human and animal. So sadly to see, how morale level is decreasing… But history reapeat…all those extinct tribes…nothing new
Religious people have a right, and everyone else has the right to recognize bigoted business practices and spend their money elsewhere.
Tyler Jared Carl yeah we see eye to eye there. Personally if I was gay and wanted a wedding cake I wouldnt want some crazy bigot blowing his nose in it or something. Let the marketplace sort it out. And if they go out of business, well…. too bad i suppose.
Tyler Jared Carl true on all that. I also say that individuals dont have a right to discriminate while employed by a corporation or another person unless that is a stance of that corporation.
If it is not their company, and they discriminate, then the employers should have every right to fire them on the spot.
Tyler Jared Carl yeah the football thing was a bit of a conundrum for me. In the end most of the problem is the intense overreaction by people who had no clue what they were protesting. Most of the time I heard it was disrespect of our veterans and flag. As a veteran I cannot think of a better way to honor our servicemembers than to exercise the rights granted by the constitution that we swore to uphold. But the NFL is a private organization. But the main difference between let’s say the NFL and Walmart, is that Walmart does not try to force its employees to participate in excessive shows of patriotism.
But then again, the anthem, flag, flyover, celebs singing the anthem, etc is nothing new, people should know what they are getting into.
That’s a tough one for sure.
I’m split by this they both have rights the UK supreme court found in favour of a bakery who refused to make a wedding cake for same sex couple https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj-rJiEt-PeAhULT98KHSi9BacQzPwBegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fuk-news%2F2018%2Foct%2F10%2Fuk-supreme-court-backs-bakery-that-refused-to-make-gay-wedding-cake&psig=AOvVaw0jT_xOmtqfd0Ff0f-Lmk2w&ust=1542819065731313
Well, in this case, nobody forced them to go out of business. If they had money, they could continue operating, nobody forced them out of the market.
It was simply that their business partners didn’t want to be associated with them. So, they no longer had the income to cover their expenses, and they shut down.
This is exactly how I would hope something like this would play out.
If they didn’t want to do it, I think it’s their right, but as they learned, it’s also the right of others not to do business with them.
Great good reddens to the both of them, homophobic magazine.
I have one question, when has disagreeing with someone become hatred? Says who? Is it possible to disagree with someone, and not hate them? Be careful who you label, it could well become hatred on your part soon?