Gay Woman Inherits Summer House, Causes Uproar By Not Letting Her Conservative Family Use It For Free For Weddings

Chuckling at the “Oh but FAMILY…” comments and “what grandma would want”. Just because OP is aware of the background doesn’t make these people more than strangers. They had decades to do so, but didn’t bother to reach out to establish a relationship until they wanted something and instead of asking politely, they demanded free access and became hostile when OP said “Not on that date, the house is already booked, but you can pick another date and pay like normal people do.” As for Grandma’s wishes, if she had any, they should have been stated in her will. OP had/has every right to treat her inheritance as she chooses.

So, the family that wanted nothing to do with your mother and you because you're both gay suddenly plays the Family Card because they want something you have? NTA. I'd tell them to get f****d.

From the start, the aunt should have graciously offered to pay the full price and asked when it was available. This graciousness might have caused the niece in turn to offer a discount, maybe even 100%. Instead, the aunt wielded the hammer of entitlement - it must be free and whenever we say - and that hammer smacked her right in the face. After this, I wouldn't let them on the property at any price on any date. Yes, that might remove them from your life entirely, but in baseball trades that's called "addition by subtraction".

Just reverse the situation and ask the conservative family if they would have allowed the gay OP to have a gay wedding there. The answer would be resounding NO. You are NTA!

Carefully consider confirmation bias. Once a person, especially a family member, wants to embrace or reject you, there's literally no one and nothing that can change their mind. This is why people can't seem to understand the parts of you that have nothing to do with them. Also, we value relationships based on what we're getting out of them, but we often expect others to be far more accomodating of us than we've been to them. The first time you give in to a family member on this matter, that will be the wedge that keeps he door open, because if you did it for one, then you're supposed to do it for the rest of them. You are the one that will create that expectation. If your grandmaother intended for the summerhouse to remain a memories place for the entire family, then that's the arrangements she would have made. I say this having survived some bitter inheritance disappointments myself. The final say of the person awarding the asset is the final say period.