Struggling Gortz Haus to close without wedding business

Betty Odgaard knew her Grimes art gallery, bistro and venue business couldn't survive long without wedding ceremonies.

The Gortz Haus Gallery has struggled financially since 2013, when Betty and her husband, Dick, attracted controversy by refusing to host a same-sex wedding ceremony because of their personal religious objections.

The balance sheet only worsened after the Odgaards announced in January they would stop offering wedding services altogether — rather than be forced to provide weddings for gay couples. On Monday, the couple said they would permanently close the business, possibly as early as August.

"The writing was on the wall," Betty Odgaard said Monday. "It just happened a lot sooner than we had anticipated."

But wedding bells may ring yet again inside the old building, which formerly housed a Lutheran church. Betty Odgaard said a local congregation is interested in moving into the space, though she wouldn't identify which church.

The Odgaards, who are Mennonite, have formed a nonprofit ministry called God's Original Design Ministry, which advocates for "traditional" marriage, between one man and one woman.

A Des Moines couple filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in 2013 because of the Odgaards' refusal to let them rent the gallery. In a settlement last year, the Odgaards agreed to pay the couple $5,000 and to not discriminate against same-sex couples.

They did that by choosing not to offer wedding services to anyone, straight or gay.

The Odgaards were heralded by social conservatives who applauded them for sticking to their religious beliefs over business concerns. They were represented by attorneys through the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a group that litigates nationwide "to protect the free expression of all faiths," according to its mission statement.

"It's shocking that the state prefers forcing Betty and Richard Odgaard to close the Görtz Haus Gallery, rather than allowing them make a living without violating their religious beliefs," Eric Baxter, senior counsel at the Becket Fund, said in a statement Monday.

Baxter noted that the Odgaards have happily served and employed gays and lesbians over the years. And he said there are dozens of nearby venues that advertise hosting same-sex weddings.

During a Saturday campaign stop in Johnston, Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz said the Odgaards were victims of "liberal fascism."

"Today, the modern Democratic Party has decided their devotion to mandatory gay marriage in all 50 states is so unforgiving that there is no longer room for defending religious liberty," the Texas senator said.

Still, Iowa law prevents any business offering services to the public from discriminating based on sexual orientation.

There is no such requirement for churches, which are not required to perform same-sex marriages or recognize such unions.

Under the banner of a religious organization, the Gortz Haus will be allowed to discriminate against same-sex couples or other groups, said Donna Red Wing, executive director of LGBT advocacy group One Iowa.

Churches, unlike businesses, have the right to express such beliefs.

"That's the beauty of religious liberty," Red Wing said. "Our government can say interracial, interreligious couples can be married. But it can't force churches to do so."

"That, I think, is just the absolute miracle of America's First Amendment."