Oregon is saying that a bakery that refused to bake a cake for a lesbian couple broke the law.
Christian News reports:
State investigators in Oregon have concluded that a bakery run by a Christian couple unlawfully discriminated against a lesbian last year when it declined to make a ‘wedding’ cake for her same-sex ceremony.
As previously reported, Aaron and Melissa Klein operate Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, which is now operated from the couple’s home after the Kleins’ shut their doors due to harassment. In January 2013, Aaron was approached by a mother and her daughter as the two were interested in a cake for the daughter’s upcoming wedding—to her lesbian partner…
The Oregon Attorney General’s office soon launched an investigation against the Klein’s as the state’s non-discrimination laws prevent public accommodations from being denied to any individual on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex [or] sexual orientation.”
On Monday, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) announced that it had concluded that the Klein’s broke the law when they declined to make the cake.
“The investigation concludes that the bakery is not a religious institution under law and that the business’ policy of refusing to make same-sex wedding cakes represents unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation,” it wrote in a press release.
The case will now move to a conciliation phase to work toward a settlement, but if an agreement cannot be reached, BOLI warns that “the bureau may bring formal charges and move the issue to BOLI’s Administrative Prosecution Unit.”
I think they mean the “persecution unit.”
January 22, 2014 at 6:56 pm
They should have just made the cake and collected the fee.
January 23, 2014 at 9:04 am
Of course, there just wasn't any other bakery in the city, county, state, country or world other then these people, who would or could have "gladly" baked your cake for you without punishing these people and destroying their business!
Gee, I guess the evolved, engaged, loving couple who couldn't find a baker anywhere, aren't such good and nice people after all! I wonder?, did they finally decide on buttercream or foundant? And the BOLI are Nazis!
January 23, 2014 at 11:01 pm
"the state’s non-discrimination laws prevent public accommodations from being denied to any individual on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex [or] sexual orientation.” The law is written for individual persons, exemptions are for religious institutions and tried on the basis of religious groups. The individual no longer matters. Communism