[New York Times] Molly Blooms, a Victorian-accented Irish bar in Sunnyside, Queens, recently raffled off a free same-sex wedding reception, with a three-hour open bar, a D.J., a photographer and a horse-drawn gilded carriage to deliver the winning couple to the festivities. The bar’s owner thought the idea would be good for business and for the largely working-class and immigrant neighborhood.
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Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
The owner of Molly Blooms, Ciaran Staunton, a
heterosexual, said he wanted to support same-sex marriage as a civil
rights issue.
Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
Larry Yang, the Korean-American owner of a hardware
store next door to the bar, said he opposed its promotion of same-sex
marriage.
Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times
Janice Velten, left, and Patrice Pfirman, a couple
for 24 years, won the Molly Blooms raffle. They plan to hold their
wedding reception there in October.
Neighbors said they would boycott the bar. Bloggers posted reports of past health violations there. Larry Yang, the Korean-American owner of a hardware store next door, said he resented such a public promotion of same-sex marriage. He said many among the large number of Korean-American Christians in Queens felt similarly but feared that if they spoke out they would be demonized by a liberal majority.
“If that horse-drawn carriage rides by my store, I will make sure my kids do not see it,” Mr. Yang, 45, said. “I am worried about what kind of message gay marriage is sending.”
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