Same-sex couple denied wedding cake by bakery
(CBS News) LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Chick-fil-A's president recently spoke out against same-sex marriage, sparking a huge uproar in the gay community, and now the issue is spilling over to a Colorado bakery, CBS Denver station KCNC-TV reports.
The owner of Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood refused to bake a wedding cake for a local same-sex couple, and now people are pushing a boycott against the owner.
Shop owner Jack Phillips probably didn't think he was going to be wading into a civil rights debate when he told the couple that he would not make a cake for their wedding, but that's exactly what has happened.
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Dave Mullin and Charlie Craig said they dated for nearly two years before getting engaged. They went into the Masterpiece Cake Shop thinking they'd spend a full day trying cakes for their ceremony. Instead the meeting lasted a few seconds.
"My first comment was, 'We're getting married,' and he just shut that down immediately," Craig said.
Mullin and Craig were stunned. They went online and posted their experience on Facebook. The response has been huge.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the shop on Saturday and were very angry.
It wasn't the first time the shop turned down same-sex couples who wanted a cake. Phillips has received more than 1,000 angry messages about his stance.
"If gays come in and want to order birthday cakes or any cakes for any occasion, graduations, or whatever, I have no prejudice against that whatsoever," Phillips said. "It's just the wedding cake, not the people, not their lifestyle."
"I support local business, I think it's really important to our community to support local business," protester Cate Owen said. "If it has to do with discrimination I don't think we should support it. I think we should want to change their policies. It's not like we want to shut them down."
Some customers said they are now ordering cakes at the shop specifically because of the stance against same-sex marriage.
"We would close down that bakery before we closed our beliefs, so that may be what it comes to ... we'll see," Phillips said.
A larger protest is scheduled to take place next Saturday.
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When in the environments of places of employment, education, hospitals, housing markets, health-care facilities TREAT EACH OTHER with BASIC, GENERAL COURTESY and "do unto others" as you "would have them to do unto you."
NOW, THAT'S MY LORD & SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST TALKING! :)
But, my SAME LORD & SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST TALKING also said "from the beginning God created them male and female and for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall be one flesh." -- THIS IS MARRIAGE.
Now, THAT'S MY FAITH. THAT'S CATHY'S FAITH.
** ANYBODY IS FREE TO REJECT THAT AND NOT LIVE ACCORDING TO THAT ***
But, what CHRISTIANS [just like EVERYBODY] cannot do IN BUSINESS is to withhold products, services, hire or wages or show partiality in such toward those whom you find disagreement or dissent.
But, ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS are not there to blot out and remove disagreement or dissent from people's minds, mouths or hearts.
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS are there to say, when in these specific environments you cannot have an atmosphere that treat people differently because you DO have disagreement or dissent with them.
[GAY COMMUNITY PLEASE Y'ALL PAY ATTENTION TO THIS FACT ]
So, this baker is truly DISCRIMINATING and should sell his CAKES to these two guys (I know he doesn't want to or like it), but it is the product that he is selling and that they are looking to buy.
He has got to keep it on the general tip and just "let them eat cake!"
BUT, A FOOTNOTE TO THESE GAY COUPLES...
And, this is a "separate issue" (AND DOES NOT NEGATE THE FACT THIS BAKER IS DISCRIMINATING & SHOULD STOP DOING SON), but... I'm the kind of person, if I know someone (openly) does NOT like me, the last thing I want to do is to ever EAT FROM THEM...
So, that's just something to "chew on." :) PUN INTENDED.
That is why the ATTACK on DAN CATHY & CHICK-FIL-A from The Gay Community and totalitarian liberals was a sham!
CATHY & CHICK-FIL-A have made it clear they do not discriminate, have not discriminated and will not discriminate in the HIRE, SERVICE or TREATMENT of gays.
GAYS are mad at Chick-Fil-A because this guy is a DEVOUT CHRISTIAN is speaking boldly what THE BIBLE says and supports ministries that believes as THE BIBLE says that marriage is "male and female" and that homosexuals can change.
But, at the end of the day that is that man's RELIGION.
You don't like it...Dont' convert to CHRISTIANITY.
You don't like it...Dont' read THE BIBLE
you don't like it...Don't SPEND YOUR MONEY @ CHICK-FIL-A
But to be brazen to tell this guy he can't be a CHRISTIAN
that he can't express REAL, FOUNDATIONAL BIBLE TRUTH
that he can't give his money to ministries and orgs that
support his BIBLICAL / CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS BELIEFS...
OR even worse from these whacko liberal mayors that the man can't
even OPEN or EXPAND his business...
That is stepping way over the line!
AND, AMERICANS WE GET IT! THAT'S WHY WE CAME OUT TO SUPPORT CHICK-FIL-A TO SAY, GAY COMMUNITY YOU GUYS MAY HAVE "BEEF" WITH THIS GUY BUT YOU ARE NOT RIGHT TO STOP OR CONTROL THIS MAN'S SPEECH, CHRISTIANITY OR ** CHICKEN**
But, this baker on the other hand IS DISCRIMINATING AGAINST GAYS with his cakes because he is allowing his beliefs to affect his HIRE, TREATMENT & SERVICE to a group of people.
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS are not in place to make people or force folks to LOVE, LIKE, ACCEPT, EMBRACE or NEVER TALK NEGATIVELY ABOUT people...[THE GAY COMMUNITY -- well, way too many in THE GAY COMMUNITY at least -- UNFORTUNATELY THINK THIS IS WHAT THESE LAW MEANS]...
However, ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS mean you don't have to at all love, like, accept, embrace or stop speaking negative thoughts about people,
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS mean... YOU DO HAVE TO TREAT FOLKS -- ALL FOLKS -- WITH BASIC, GENERAL COURTESY AS HIRE, WAGES, PATRONS, PATIENTS, CLIENTS, SERVICE, EMPLOYMENT, RESIDENCE, EDUCATION, and CONSUMERS, whether you like them or not.
And, in such environments whether I like you or not or whether you like me or not, we cannot maintain an "atmosphere" in such listed environments that allow partiality, unfair treatment, distinction or discrimination.
But, once we are outside of these "specific environments" you can't force someone to invite you over to their house if they hate people with purple hair and you just so happen to have purple hair!
But, if you work at my company I cannot treat you differently at all just because you have purple hair!
THAT IS WHY THE ATTACK ON CHICK-FIL-A IS NOTHING MORE THAN A STRATEGIC, BULLY-PULPIT FROM THE GAY COMMUNITY NIT-PICKING THIS GUY'S BUSINESS BECAUSE HE ** OUTSIDE *** OF HIS BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT EXPRESSED HIS ** RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ***
Anybody who knows 2 minutes worth of THE BIBLE -- THE CHRISTIAN FAITH knows it is not, has never been and will never be a PRO-GAY RELIGION.
So, what does they GAY COMMUNITY expect CHRISTIANS to do?
GET RID OF THEIR FAITH?
BURN THEIR BIBLES?
SHUT UP FROM EVER EXPRESSING THEIR RELIGION?
No, that is silly and childish and totally IMMATURE thinking!
I doubt you would be so supportive of something like this.
Depends when you start to break the law people will get involved. Perhaps you should read the law here in Colorado. We aren't dealing with the same situation Chick-Fil-A because I have yet to see them turn away a customer because they were homosexual or didn't follow the same beliefs as the founders. This business owner broke the law and should be punished.
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You're on thin legal ice if you charge that the owner broke Colorado law. He clearly stated that if they wanted a birthday cake, or a cake for a graduation, there would be no problem. Thus, he is not discriminating against anyone. He refused to make a wedding cake because he opposes gay marriage, not gays.
24-34-601. Discrimination in places of public accommodation - definition
(1) As used in this part 6, "place of public accommodation" means any place of business engaged in any sales to the public and any place offering services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to the public, including but not limited to any business offering wholesale or retail sales to the public; any place to eat, drink, sleep, or rest, or any combination thereof; any sporting or recreational area and facility; any public transportation facility; a barber shop, bathhouse, swimming pool, bath, steam or massage parlor, gymnasium, or other establishment conducted to serve the health, appearance, or physical condition of a person; a campsite or trailer camp; a dispensary, clinic, hospital, convalescent home, or other institution for the sick, ailing, aged, or infirm; a mortuary, undertaking parlor, or cemetery; an educational institution; or any public building, park, arena, theater, hall, auditorium, museum, library, exhibit, or public facility of any kind whether indoor or outdoor. "Place of public accommodation" shall not include a church, synagogue, mosque, or other place that is principally used for religious purposes.
(2) It is a discriminatory practice and unlawful for a person, directly or indirectly, to refuse, withhold from, or deny to an individual or a group, because of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry, the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation or, directly or indirectly, to publish, circulate, issue, display, post, or mail any written, electronic, or printed communication, notice, or advertisement that indicates that the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a place of public accommodation will be refused, withheld from, or denied an individual or that an individual's patronage or presence at a place of public accommodation is unwelcome, objectionable, unacceptable, or undesirable because of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry.
(2.5) It is a discriminatory practice and unlawful for any person to discriminate against any individual or group because such person or group has opposed any practice made a discriminatory practice by this part 6 or because such person or group has made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing conducted pursuant to this part 6.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, it is not a discriminatory practice for a person to restrict admission to a place of public accommodation to individuals of one sex if such restriction has a bona fide relationship to the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of such place of public accommodation.
24-34-602. Penalty and civil liability
(1) Any person who violates section 24-34-601 shall be fined not less than fifty dollars nor more than five hundred dollars for each violation. A person aggrieved by the violation of section 24-34-601 shall bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction in the county where the violation occurred. Upon finding a violation, the court shall order the defendant to pay the fine to the aggrieved party.
(2) For each violation of section 24-34-601, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than three hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(3) A judgment in favor of the party aggrieved or punishment upon an indictment or information shall be a bar to either prosecution, respectively; but the relief provided by this section shall be an alternative to that authorized by section 24-34-306 (9), and a person who seeks redress under this section shall not be permitted to seek relief from the commission.
Is a halal bakery forced to make a bacon cake, just because some weirdo demands one ?