Shouldn’t a funeral be an occasion when the dearly departed can be given a fond farewell as they make their final journey to that far shore, and a time for mourners to remember them well? Celebrating a life instead of marking a death; that’s how they are often looked upon these days. So how can that be achieved when the celebrant decides to halt the service halfway through when he finds out you’re gay? A Colorado church pastor stopped the funeral of Vanessa Collier when he realized that a video celebrating her life made it clear she was gay. Mashable reports that Pastor Ray Chavez “said the church wouldn’t host the funeral so long as Collier’s video displayed images of Collier with her wife, Christina Higley, that made it clear she was a lesbian.” Mourners “were forced to pick up everything, including Collier’s casket, and finish across the street at a funeral home.”
On her Facebook page, Higley wrote “I only hoped we could find a house of God to celebrate my beautiful wife and her life (HER WHOLE LIFE) and lay her to rest in God’s arms. Is it too much to ask for? To reflect on how beautiful her life is, with all of her family including myself, her children, her family and closest friends?” The pastor is now under fire for his actions. “Around 100 supporters of Collier protested Chavez’s actions outside New Hope Ministries on Tuesday, Silva said. They are demanding an apology from Chavez and they want a refund on the $400 they paid to hold the service at New Hope Ministries.”