Civil Rights Decision: Baker Did Not Discriminate By Refusing To Make Anti-Gay Cakes

Marjorie Silva, the owner of Azucar Bakery, can breathe a sigh of relief. The Colorado Civil Rights Division has decided that her bakery that refused to make cakes with anti-gay messages did not discriminate. Silva stated the following, according to Yahoo.

“I’m happy that we were not just morally right but legally right. Hopefully this will lead to a better world where we are friendly to each other.”

Silva was willing to make a book-shaped cake for customers, but, when a customer named Bill Jack wanted her to make Bible-shaped cakes with anti-gay messages in March 2014, she drew the line and refused. He wanted anti-gay messages, such as “Homosexuality is a detestable sin. Leviticus 18:22” and “God hates gays.” He also wanted the cake to include two men holding hands with a large “X” over them, according to the Huffington Post.

Jack said, “I believe I was discriminated against by the bakery based on my creed. As a result, I filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights division.” Jack was identified as the founder of the “non-denominational” Christian organization called the Worldview Academy, according to the Huffington Post.

She told Jack that she would give him the icing and pastry bag so for him to decorate the cake himself. Her refusal to write the hateful comments led to her being served with a religious discrimination complaint.

Silva received alot of support from the LGBT community when news spread of her refusal to write vile sayings. The baker, originally from Peru, stated that she is not a member of the LGBT community, but that she has respect for all people and will not tolerate hatred. Silva said the following, according to Yahoo.

“We never refuse service. We did feel that it was not right for us to write hateful words or pictures against human beings….About 2,000 of the e-mails I got were of support. There were four hateful, so that’s not even one percent. So it looks like humanity is going in the right direction and things are changing for good….However you want to worship God [is fine by me]. In the end, he’s the same God for everybody. I don’t think he would like us discriminating against each other and hating each other. Now, I haven’t read the entire Bible, but it’s common sense.”

Silva noted that she routinely makes cakes for people celebrating their chosen religion. But she believes that Jack wanted the cakes to make a point regarding the ongoing controversy over Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act and was not just your average bakery customer. Mark Silverstein, the legal director of the ACLU in Colorado, agrees.

In order to help pay for legal fees, the bakery is selling tee shirts that say, “Because God loves everyone…let’s eat cake” and “Don’t Hate…let’s eat cake.” They can be seen at the bakery’s website here.

Unfortunately, not everyone is tolerant of others’ sexual orientation. An Inquisitr article recently reported that a Michigan pediatrician refused to treat an infant because she was the daughter of lesbian parents. An analyst noted that, under current Michigan law, a doctor has an absolute right to refuse medical treatment on the basis of sexual orientation.

Do you think that a business should legally be permitted to deny services based on someone’s sexual orientation? Please leave your comments below.

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