The owners of a bakery in Oregon who refused to cater to a same-sex couple last year, have finally agreed to pay state-ordered damages in the amount of $136,000.
Aaron Klein and his wife Melissa, owners of the Portland bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa, finally paid the damages after refusing to do so for nearly 6 months. Klein and his staff had refused to make a wedding cake for lesbian couple Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer, claiming that it was against their religious beliefs.
A two year court battle ensued, which ended with the couple being fined $136,000 by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). According to BOLI, the owners’ refusal to make the cake goes against Oregon’s anti-discrimination laws, which prohibit businesses from refusing to serve potential customers based on their gender presentation or sexual orientation.
BOLI stated in its ruling that:
“This case is not about a wedding cake or a marriage. It is about a business’s refusal to serve someone because of their sexual orientation. Under Oregon law, that is illegal.”
Sweet Cakes is less than apologetic. Their website cites bible passages on virtually every page, many of which ring incredibly flat or snide in the light of the two year court battle they just lost over their discriminatory policies. Their contact page is, in fact, more bible verses than actual contact information. The Sweet Cakes homepage is possibly the most snide of all.
“We here at Sweet Cakes strongly believe that when a man and woman come together to be joined as one, it is truly one of the most special days of their lives, we feel truely honored when we are chosen to do the cake for your special day.”
Enjoyed visiting w/ Aaron & Melissa Klein. The Oregon bakery owners are heroes in the fight for #ReligiousLiberty. pic.twitter.com/5x8wd06IS7
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) November 6, 2015
If the cakes at Sweet Cakes are crafted with as much care as their poorly spelled website, perhaps the LGBT community is better off without them.
Featured image via YouTube
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