Wichita’s Winefest loses partner for excluding LGBTQ bars
Wichita’s annual Midwest Winefest fundraiser will have to find a new wine distributor after its partner pulled out of the event because organizers decided not to invite back certain bars and restaurants with LGBTQ clientele.
Standard Beverage’s chief financial officer, Angie Wilhelm, tells The Wichita Eagle that the Wichita liquor distributor will not work with the festival this year. The liquor company took issue with a recent decision by the event’s organizer and beneficiary, Guadalupe Clinic, to not invite businesses it deemed “morally and ethically” at odds with Catholic values.
The clinic provides medical services to uninsured community members and is part of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita.
The clinic’s executive director David Gear says LGBTQ bars and restaurants weren’t the only businesses that weren’t back this year.
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