Christian Hotel Owners Get Death Threats, Will Close After Battle over Denying Room to a Gay Couple

Christian bed and breakfast owners who once famously refused service to a gay couple in the U.K. now claim that they've been forced to sell their hotel following a contentious legal battle and ongoing harassment.

Hazelmary and Peter Bull insist that they have been the victims of vandalism, death threats and website attacks since the 2008 incident. As a result, in addition to the impending loss of the Chymorvah Hotel in Marazion, Cornwall, England, the couple has also grappled with intense anger from their ideological opponents.

Since denying a room to Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy, a gay couple, they have been forced to pay for legal representation and to compensate Hall and Preddy, all-the-while attracting fewer guests as a result of their stance on homosexuality (the hotel only allows married adults to share a bed).

"We were optimistic in the spring. Why wouldn’t we be with the summer ahead of us?," Hazelmary told the Daily Mail. "We have had a better summer than we thought but nowhere near good enough to pay our way. We were not even half-full. We must have been the only place in west Cornwall that had rooms left."

A screen shot from the hotels' website

The lack of business has finally taken its toll -- and it's not all about a lack of finances.

In an interview with the outlet, the Bulls said that they also had a dead rabbit nailed to their fence and that someone even removed the bolts from the tires on their car. They have also reportedly encountered death threats.

The Christian Post recaps how the family has found itself in such a difficult emotional and financial position:

The legal battle traces back to September 2008, when a gay couple, civil partners Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall, booked a double room, but were turned away when the hotel manager, Bernie Quinn, realized the booking had not been made by a heterosexual, married couple.

The Bulls are conservative Christians and do not permit non-married couples, including heterosexuals, to share a room at their Bed and Breakfast. The B&B website states, "Please note that as Christians we have a deep regard for marriage (being the union of one man to one woman for life to the exclusion of all others). Therefore, although we extend to all a warm welcome to our home, our double bedded accommodation is not available to unmarried couples."

While the Bulls will be selling their business, the couple plans to appeal its case. After winning the right to do so by the U.K. Supreme Court, arguments will again be heard on Oct. 9.

Sticking to one's values, especially when it comes to business, isn't always cut and dry, as TheBlaze has shown in the past. Discrimination laws both abroad and in the U.S. don't always afford the opportunity for Christians to withhold service for same-sex couple and, as homosexuality becomes more accepted, it's likely these clashes will only intensify.

Featured Image Credit: Chymorvah Hotel

(H/T: Christian Post)

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