David Cooley, the owner of gay bar The Abbey, has denied that banning bachelorette parties is discriminatory.

Cooley's West Hollywood bar and eatery, which promotes itself as the “best gay bar to bring a straight friend to,” has twice been named the “Best Gay Bar in the World” by all-gay cabler Logo's TripOut Travel.

Last week, Cooley banned bachelorettes from celebrating their upcoming nuptials at the bar until gay marriage is legal.

He appeared on CNN to discuss the new policy.

Bachelorettes parties being held at The Abbey are “hurtful to me, being gay, as well as my clientele, that we cannot have that same type of a celebration,” Cooley said. “It's not [that] I'm discriminating against the women coming in, it's just a ban against bachelorette parties.”

“If you're banning the heterosexual, you know, pastime of bachelorette parties from happening in your club in West Hollywood, on a level it is discrimination,” anchor Brooke Baldwin stated.

“Well, it's a ban against just the celebration itself,” Cooley responded. “I've been discriminated. Gay men and women have been discriminated all their lives. We would love to have the same equality, the same rights that every straight person has where they can have a celebration and go out and have a party knowing that this is their day to celebrate before they make that big commitment of marriage. Unfortunately, as a gay man I don't have them rights, and that's hurtful. So for the women coming in having that bachelorette party in a place knowing that most of my clientele being gay doesn't have that same right it's hurtful.” (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)