… nor is being required to sell a cake to same-sex couples (or their friends and family) “trampling” a baker’s religious freedom.
During my morning news reading, I came across this story in ThinkProgress reporting on a Colorado judge’s ruling against the baker who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex couple.
Colorado Judge: Bakery That Refused Wedding Cake To Same-Sex Couple Broke The Law
In July of 2012, the Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado refused to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple who were planning to celebrate with friends and family the marriage they had received in Massachusetts. The couple, Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig, filed a complaint, and the Colorado Attorney General proceeded to do the same, and Friday, Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Robert Spencer ruled against Jack Phillips, the owner of the bakery.
The complaint had been filed on behalf of the couple by the ACLU who had this to say about the ruling:
“Masterpiece Cakeshop has willfully and repeatedly considered itself above the law when it comes to discriminating against customers, and the state has rightly determined otherwise,” said Sara R. Neel, staff attorney with the ACLU of Colorado. “It’s important for all Coloradans to be treated fairly by every business that is open to the public – that’s good for business and good for the community.”