Did a baker break the law when he denied service to same-sex couple?

KATU ^ | Erica Nochlin

[Morgana]

GRESHAM, Ore. -- A Gresham baker is the subject of a state investigation after he refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Did Sweet Cakes owner Aaron Klein violate the law when he told the couple that he couldn’t sell them a cake because “they were abominations to the Lord?”

That’s what Oregon Attorney General's civil enforcement officers are looking into after one of the brides-to-be filed a complaint on Jan. 28.

The woman who filed the complaint said she had previously bought a cake from Sweet Cakes for her mother’s wedding. It was fine. But when her partner went back for their wedding cake on Jan. 17, the owner refused.

Klein on Friday denied making the harsh statement, but admitted to a KATU reporter on camera that he did deny her service.

“I apologized for wasting their time and said we don’t do same-sex marriages,” he said. I “honestly did not mean to hurt anybody, didn’t mean to make anybody upset, (it’s) just something I believe in very strongly.”

But beliefs aren’t enough to cover him under state law. The Oregon Equality Act of 2007 prohibits discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The statute includes public accommodations, such as businesses.

Klein emphasized the importance of his religious beliefs, saying it outweighs his bottom line and the state law.

[Viennacon]

This law violates the first amendment. He should take them all the way to the Supreme Court.

[Windflier]

Obsession...

[AU72]

If the baker was muslim it would never have made the news.

[omega4179]

>>If the baker was muslim it would never have made the news.

[Slyfox]

There are bakers who will happily do erotic cakes for anyone irregardless of sexual orientation.

Seems like they coulda gotten one from such a baker.

[USMCPOP]

Clam cake is not in any of my recipe books. Sorry. There’s a seafood place down the road.

[ASOC]

Who has more money - a stack of state funded lawyers backed by a liberal government or a small business?

In other words, who is the baby seal here getting clubbed?

This crap will soon be showing up where you live - speak out against the hive mind and you will pay - with either your treasure or your freedom - or both.

Elections matter.

[Slyfox]

The Oregon Equality Act of 2007 prohibits discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Does that nullify the business's owner right to refuse service to anyone they want?

[ConorMacNessa]

Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Association are under vicious attack under this Regime, but the groundwork was laid decades ago by socialist activists, academia and the media.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction."

President Ronald W. Reagan

This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with catastrophe!



Keep Faith with the Fallen of Benghazi! Let the Obama Regime, for once, tell the Truth!

Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Does that nullify the business's owner right to refuse service to anyone they want?

Legally speaking, probably. Or, to be more precise, legally speaking, businesses that are considered "public accomodations" don't have the right to refuse service to anyone they want. It's been that way due to anti-discrimination laws going at least as far back as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

(Note: I'm not saying that's how it should be, just the state of the law as it currently exists. Also, this guy may have a pretty good First Amendment claim--certainly better than if it were racial discrimination--but, as mentioned above, that depends on his ability and willingness to fight this).

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Does that nullify the business's owner right to refuse service to anyone they want?

Legally speaking, probably. Or, to be more precise, legally speaking, businesses that are considered "public accomodations" don't have the right to refuse service to anyone they want. It's been that way due to anti-discrimination laws going at least as far back as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

(Note: I'm not saying that's how it should be, just the state of the law as it currently exists. Also, this guy may have a pretty good First Amendment claim--certainly better than if it were racial discrimination--but, as mentioned above, that depends on his ability and willingness to fight this).

[Verginius Rufus]

Apparently that right does not exist in Oregon.

Gresham is in the Portland area, so the lesbians can easily find other bakeries who will be happy to make a cake for them. This sounds like what happened a while back in New Mexico with a photographer. They seek out and try to destroy anyone who stands in their way.

Probably the guy's only option will be to close up and move to a more conservative state, but the liberals would no doubt track him down and harass him there too.

[jeffc]

The baker (and anyone else) can get around this “law” by telling the homos he’s too busy, but can recommend another baker for them. I call it “polite disobedience”. If the homos still sue him after that, then they targeted him all along, and it will be up to them to prove he was NOT too busy for them.

[ReformationFan]

If the baker was Muslim, they never would have bothered him in the first place.

[DuncanWaring]

There was a baker in Denver who ran into this type of problem a few months ago.

I think the name was something like “Magnificent Cakes” or “Magnificent Bakery”, but can’t find any reference to it.

Does anyone else recall what the name was?

[dandiegirl]

Homos are offened everytime their immorality is pointed out to them so they make a big public fuss all in the name of trying to always be accepted into society. They bully people into treating them with kid gloves publicly, but people’s real feelings don’t change.

[RedMDer]

Freepers, your Contributions make every difference!
Please keep ‘em coming! Thank you all very much!

[RightOnTheBorder]

Ah the poison fruit of the civil rights act. Offer services to the public and lose YOUR rights. I am sure the writers of that law didn’t expect that people would ever be forced to partake in celebrations of sexual deviancy but it just goes to show the dangers of trying to legislate morality.

[freekitty]

Since they did not identify themselves in the first place as a same sex couple; why should he have to serve them? I would say as usual they were working the system without a care for anyone but themselves.