Yet another bakery has been told not to refuse to make gay wedding cakes
A Colorado bakery has become the latest to be told by courts not to refuse to make cakes for same-sex weddings.
Masterpiece Cakeshop has joined a list of businesses ordered not to discriminate.
It comes after the business was sued by couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins, who were told by owner Jack Phillips in 2012 that he wouldn’t make a cake for them.
The baker cited his religious beliefs in the refusal.
Despite that Colorado in 2012 did not recognise or allow same-sex marriages, but did prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Colorado appeals court, which agreed to hear the case last month, disagreed with Philips that being required to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple constituted his “endorsement” of same-sex marriage.
“Masterpiece remains free to continue espousing its religious beliefs, including its opposition to same-sex marriage,” the court ruled.
“However, if it wishes to operate as a public accommodation and conduct business within the state of Colorado, CADA (Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act) prohibits it from picking and choosing customers based on their sexual orientation.”
The Masterpiece Cakeshop was not the first this year to be told to stop discriminating.
The owners of Oregon bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa were found guilty of discrimination this year, after refusing to make a cake for lesbian wedding in 2013 – despite making divorce celebration cakes and cakes for ‘gay cure’ groups without issue.
They were ordered to pay $135,000 in damages.
