Cocoa – A Space Coast wedding venue is openly, blatantly discriminating against same-sex couples.
Rocking L Ranch, a picturesque, working horse ranch located in Cocoa, has turned away at least two same-sex couples who were interested in the venue for their weddings. Not only does Susan Landfried, the owner of Rocking L Ranch, discriminate against same-sex couples, but in both cases she further antagonized the women, sending emails lecturing about her Christian beliefs and why she refused to marry them.
Terri Moccio, 42, is a doctor of physical therapy. She met her now-wife, Nikki, through friends. Nikki, 43, is a victim advocate for the state attorney’s office and the couple has been together for 4 years.
Moccio says she found Rocking L Ranch via WeddingWire.com, a popular resource for wedding vendors.
“I showed it to Nikki and she fell in love with it,” Terri says. “She emailed venue to find out when can take a look at it and discuss planning a wedding. We didn’t hear anything back.”
She says they filled out the ranch’s application online then didn’t hear anything for a month.
“I started investigating the ranch to find out why we hadn’t heard anything and that’s when I found their disclaimer,” Terri says. “I wondered if [the non-response] could be because we’re gay.”
This is the disclaimer Terri is referring to, and as of presstime, it’s still visible at RockingLRanchWeddings.com:
“Any individual(s) or organization(s) that is believed to have intentions to use this property to participate in any illegal activity, ritual or ceremonial activities that is not consistent with the inherent religious beliefs of The Rocking L Ranch & Riding Center LLC it’s members and managing members of the above listed properties in accordance with the RFA of Florida may be subject to denial.”
RFA refers to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a state law passed in 1998 that states that government may not “substantially burden the exercise of religion.”
While it’s unclear whether the RFA specifically shields Rocking L Ranch in this case, according to Mary Meeks, Orlando attorney and LGBT activist, it appears that Landfried is not breaking any laws by barring same-sex couples.
“Of course, at the moment [Rocking L doesn’t] need any special protection, because it is currently perfectly legal in Florida for businesses to deny such services to LGBTs, except, arguably, in municipalities that have LGBT-inclusive HROs that apply to public accommodations,” Meeks says. “As we are painfully aware after the fiasco in Palm Bay, Brevard County does not have an HRO. So I am not aware of any legal prohibition against a Brevard business discriminating against LGBTs.”
Meeks is referring to the February decision by Palm Bay City Council not to approve a Human Right Ordinance that is LGBT-inclusive. The council vote came after a barrage of testimony from anti-gay activists claiming that the protections would violate their religious beliefs.
As far as the RFA, Meeks says the Florida law only applies to government actions, usually zoning or prisoner issues.
“It has historically been applied very narrowly, and to my knowledge it has never been applied to ‘protect’ a private businessfrom having to perform a service for LGBT or any other allegedly objectionable people,” Meeks says.
Should the RFA be tested in court, she says the concern is that it could be used to invalidate local HRO protections by arguing that the LGBT protections burden the businesses’ free exercise of religion.
“Of course, the counter argument is that protecting LGBT citizens from discrimination is a ‘compelling state interest’ that justifies the HRO,” Meeks says. “No such case has ever been brought so we don’t know how a court might rule.”
Meeks adds that it’s sad that lack of protections not only allow businesses to discriminate, but means “they’re legally allowed to flaunt their bigotry,” which it seems Rocking L Ranch is happy to do.
When Terri posted a negative review to Rocking L’s Facebook page telling other couples, “Don’t even bother if you want a same-sex wedding. It’s forbidden,” Rocking L responded that Terri should “spread the word” and pasted their disclaimer.
“I was angry. Nikki was hurt. This is Nikki’s first same-sex relationship. She’s never had to deal with that kind of discrimination before,” Terri says.“I don’t want to go to a venue that doesn’t want me there, especially on my wedding day. But don’t open yourself up and say that you’re a public entity then turn around and say you can’t have a wedding there.”
The Moccios aren’t the only couple turned away by Landfried.
Amanda Nye, 29, is an office manager who is now married to Beth, 28, a kitchen manager. They live in Melbourne, have been together for four-and-a-half years and are raising a son together.
In January of 2015, they inquired about a wedding at Rocking L Ranch. They filled out the form online, and then Amanda says she called Landfried, who set them up with an appointment to tour the ranch for the next day.
“Then, not five minutes after, she called me back and said I couldn’t help but notice in the ‘husband’ field of the form you put ‘Beth,'” Amanda says. According to Amanda.Landfried asked if they are gay, and when she said yes,Landfried informed Amanda that they don’t host gay weddings at Rocking L Ranch.
“She said, ‘And not only do we not do gay weddings, but that’s against God’s word. I don’t even want you stepping foot on my property,’ and she hung up on me,” Amanda says.
Landfried then emailed Amanda and told her she was wrong to get married to a woman and that she would go to hell for it.
“I was really pissed and I was really hurt,” Amanda says, and then Landfried continued to email her.
Here’s an excerpt from a Jan. 8, 2015 email: “We are happy to host dinners, birthday parties, or just about any other kind of event regardless of a client’s sexual orientation, but not a same-sex wedding. I don’t want to discriminate against anyone, but my conscience will not allow me to use my business to facilitate an event that contradicts God’s design for marriage.”
Amanda says she was extremely upset and had never faced discrimination like that before.
“It made me second guess me as a person,” she says. “Eventually I came to and said, ‘Screw this, I love my wife, I love Beth, I’m not going to let [Landfried] get the best of me.’”
Amanda says she’s surprised to hear that Landfried’s discrimination is legal.
“It happens, and sadly enough it happens every day,” she says. “It was really, really hurtful.”
Both couples ended up with their dream wedding days at venues that are open and accepting of gay couples. The Moccios wed at Danville Inn in Geneva, where the owner had done commitment ceremonies but was excited to host his first legal same-sex wedding, Terri says.
The Nyes wed at Sterling Stables.
But their happy endings were derailed by discrimination during what is supposed to be the happiest time in a couple’s life, and legally so. Landfried did not respond toWatermark’s request for an interview, so it appears she’s continuing to discriminate against same-sex couples at Rocking L Ranch.
