A baker refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple based on his religion. Now, the case between the two parties will be heard by the Supreme Court to determine whether the baker acted lawfully or not.
The incident took place in 2012 and the baker, Jack Phillips, was told by Colorado officials that it was wrong for him to turn away the same-sex couple who asked him to make their wedding cake. Lower courts also favored the same-sex couple over the Masterpiece Cakeshop owner noting that he violated Colorado’s law over public accommodation. The law prohibits refusing service to any customer over his gender, race, marital status or sexual orientation.
The same-sex couple, identified as Charlie Craig and David Mullins, first complained about their interaction with Phillips via posting against Masterpiece Cakeshop on Facebook. They later filed a complaint the civil rights commission in the area and claimed they were turned away due to their gender but Phillips pointed out that he turned them away because of his religious belief and not because they are gay.
Baker claims craftspersons cannot be compelled against religious beliefs
Phillips claimed a craftsperson like him cannot be compelled to do something regarding the celebration of any kind of event against their religious beliefs. If this Colorado case will prosper, it could affect 22 other states that have the same cases regarding producing products or rendering services for same-sex couples, The Washington Post reported.
Phillips also said that another Denver-area baker did not receive such attention after he declined to bake a cake for people who wanted to write an anti-gay message on it. Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, who is on the defense team of Phillips, noted that the Colorado government is choosing which messages "they'll support and which artistic messages they'll protect."
The senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, David Cortman, also said that every American should be free to choose which art they will create without fear of being unjustly punished by the laws.
Cortman said the pending case against their client is an example of imperiling the freedom of a person.
The case will be heard by the Supreme Court this October.
Other pending cases regarding same-sex couples
There are other pending cases regarding bakers, calligraphers, florists and others who refused to render their service to same-sex weddings.
In 2014, a photographer was found in violation of a state civil rights law in New Mexico as she did not want to photograph the commitment ceremony of a lesbian couple.
Another case involved a florist in Richland, Washington. The owner of Arlene’s Flowers, Barronele Stutzman, violated a state civil rights law after she refused to provide services to a gay wedding. She said her free speech was violated, too, but the court ruled otherwise. The case is ongoing.
