The Hypocrisy of Victoria Cobb and The Family Foundation

The decision by Metzger Bar and Butchery, a German-influenced restaurant in the Union Hill neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, to cancel the reservation of Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation ("TFF"), a vicious anti-gay hate group with antecedents among the segregationists who supported "Massive Resistance" - the closing of public schools rather than allow black students - has received national coverage over the past week.  Many on the right (many of whom I suspect do not know the history and stunning dishonesty of  TFF) have assailed the restaurant as discriminating against "Christians" and said the restaurant owners were hypocrites for not practicing the tolerance they want from others.   Other than extreme hate groups, I suspect that if people knew the extent of TFF's dishonesty and efforts to oppose any rights or public accommodation of LGBT individuals whatsoever,  they might have a different view of the restaurant's actions.   Victoria Cobb playing the victim card is the height of hypocrisy when her track record is working diligently to victimize and denigrate others.  In my opinion she is the "queen of mean" and most likely lying if her lips are moving and, yes, she and  I have crossed swords so to speak in the past.  On TFF's website/blog Ms. Cobb has called me a "subversive homosexualist” because I have repeatedly called out her lies and the untruths she and her organization disseminate virtually daily.  Indeed, I have indicated that I would continue to tell the truth about Cobb and her organization as long as she/it disseminate insidious lies about LGBT individuals.   A piece in the Washington Post looks at the restaurant's justified action in telling Ms. Cobb and her posion were not welcome.   Here are article highlights (Cobb's equating of her treatment as akin to restaurants refusing to serve blacks is particularly laced with hypocrisy given the antecedents of her organization):

A restaurant in Richmond last week canceled a reservation for a private event being held by a conservative Christian organization, citing the group’s opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

“We have always refused service to anyone for making our staff uncomfortable or unsafe and this was the driving force behind our decision,” read an Instagram post from Metzger Bar and Butchery, a German-influenced restaurant in the Union Hill neighborhood whose kitchen is helmed by co-owner Brittanny Anderson, a veteran of TV cooking shows including “Top Chef” and “Chopped.” “Many of our staff are women and/or members of the LGBTQ+ community. All of our staff are people with rights who deserve dignity and a safe work environment. We respect our staff’s established rights as humans and strive to create a work environment where they can do their jobs with dignity, comfort and safety.”

The group, the Family Foundation, was set to host a dessert reception for supporters on Nov. 30, the group’s president, Victoria Cobb, wrote in a blog post describing the incident. About an hour and a half before it was slated to start, one of the restaurant’s owners called to cancel it, she wrote. . . . “Sure enough, an employee looked up our organization, and their wait staff refused to serve us.”

The Family Foundation is based in Richmond and advocates for “policies based on biblical principles.” It has lobbied against same-sex marriage and abortion rights.

In her blog post, Cobb likened the restaurant’s move to establishments that refused to serve Black customers in the 1950s and ’60s, and she decried what she called a “double standard” by liberals . . . .

Legal experts say neither of those are apt analogies. While it’s illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race or religion, the restaurant’s refusal had to do with the group’s actions, said Elizabeth Sepper, a professor at the University of Texas. “It’s about the overall positions and policies the group has taken — it’s not about Christian vs. non-Christian,” she said.

Restaurants have made news for taking issue with their patrons’ politics. Sarah Sanders, then the White House press secretary and now the governor-elect of Arkansas, was asked to leave the Red Hen in Lexington, Va., in 2018. The owner of the restaurant, Stephanie Wilkinson, wrote that she thought Sanders was “a person whose actions in the service of our country we felt violated basic standards of humanity.” And a judge in 2018 sided with a New York bar that ejected a customer for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President Donald Trump.

If past is prologue, Metzger’s move — which was first reported by Virginia Business — is likely to bring it both criticism and support. Wilkinson described the aftermath of the incident with Sanders — which made headlines around the world — as intense. Her phone lines were hacked, she and her staff had private information about them posted online, and many of them received death threats.

The restaurant and the foundation used interest in the event to fundraise. Metzger on Saturday posted an image of a bourbon-based cocktail dubbed “Cracks in the Foundation” and said it would donate the profits from its sale to Equality Virginia, a group that advocates for LGBTQ rights. “We are so grateful to our many guests and neighbors for their support the past few days!” read the Instagram post. “To say thank you we are donating all proceeds from this cocktail to @equalityva tonight!”

In the years I have writing this blog I have received numerous death threats - which is why I moderate comments - ALL of which have come from "godly Christians."