An area man who identifies as a straight, male harpist is being sued for not wanting to play harp at a gay wedding. Richard Moroney of Huntsville, Alabama said Wednesday that he was asked to play harp at the wedding of Wendell Reardon and his partner, Fabian Holmes. Alexander Pittman, attorney for Wendell and Fabian, told Channel 23 News that the gay couple is very upset that Moroney is “acting like he doesn’t want to play at [their] wedding.” Pittman said “Wendell and Fabian are claiming that Moroney is a known homophobe and hasn’t played at a gay wedding even once since he started taking harp lessons two years ago.”
When interviewed by Channel 23 News, Moroney stated that he is not a professional harpist, has never played at any wedding, and would never want to. “Ever since I started taking harp lessons, I’ve told people ‘I can’t wait to NOT play at weddings,’” Moroney said. He went on to explain: “I do not hate the gays. Some of my best friends engage in non-vaginal sex. I don’t see marriage as a union between a man and woman, or between two men, or between two women. Instead, I see it as a bottomless pit of misery and despair.” Moroney went on to describe weddings as “gay”. It was not clear whether Moroney meant “gay” in the “merry” and “cheerful” sense, or in the sense of being “cheesy, obnoxious, and insipid.”
In an effort to settle the lawsuit, Moroney stated that he may be willing to play just a couple of songs at the wedding under the condition that he will not be expected to play the music of any of the following music personalities: Neil Diamond, Kenny G, Michael Bolton, George Michael, Elton John, or Garth Brooks.