Oregon Baker Faces State Investigation

[bonnie]

Oregon Baker Faces State Investigation After Refusing to Make Cake for Same Sex Couples Wedding

An Oregon man may have broken the law and is facing a state investigation after refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex couple’s wedding, KATU reports.

It started on Jan. 17 when a mother and daughter showed up at Sweet Cakes by Melissa looking for the perfect wedding cake.

“My first question is what’s the wedding date,” said owner Aaron Klein. “My next question is bride and groom’s name … the girl giggled a little bit and said it’s two brides.”

Klein apologized to the women and told them he and his wife do not make cakes for same-sex marriages. Klein said the women were disgusted and walked out.

“I believe that marriage is a religious institution ordained by God,” said Klein. “A man should leave his mother and father and cling to his wife … that to me is the beginning of marriage.”

[...]

“I’d rather have my kids see their dad stand up for what he believes in then to see him bow down because one person complained.”

One of the women filed a complaint on January 28– also saying Klein referred to them as “abominations unto the Lord”– and now the Oregon Attorney General’s civil enforcement officers are investigating the claim.

But Klein says he never used harsh language and has no problem with homosexuals; he just doesn’t want to be a part of their marriage.

“I honestly did not mean to hurt anybody, didn’t mean to make anybody upset, [it’s] just something I believe in very strongly,” he told KATU.

When asked whether he’d be willing to lose his business over the matter, Klein said: “If I have to be to, I guess, be penalized for my beliefs, then I guess, well, that’ll be what it is.”

The case now presents a unique legal dilemma, according to reports, since Oregon law forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the U.S. Constitution protects Klein’s freedom of religion.

Klein has two weeks to file his official account what happened before the attorney general’s office decides how to proceed.

[Narcah]

Didn't he have a sign in the window: "We reserve the right to refuse business to anyone."?

[bonnie]

Didn't he have a sign in the window: "We reserve the right to refuse business to anyone."?

It doesn't say.Somehow when dealing with the gay community I don't think it would have made any difference

[Tom Wetmore]

Originally Posted By: Narcah

Didn't he have a sign in the window: "We reserve the right to refuse business to anyone."?

It doesn't say.Somehow when dealing with the gay community I don't think it would have made any difference

A sign of that sort is not a license to discriminate. From a legal standpoint it is meaningless. It would not be just the gay community. If a white supremacist had such a sign in his place of business he couldn't claim that allows him to deny service to non-whites. Nor could a Baptist business owner deny service to Catholics. The law prohibits discrimination against defined classifications. I Oregon, the set of classifications include race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.

The conflict between the First Amendment and the state anti-discrimnation law is a serious issue.

[bonnie]

It doesn't say.Somehow when dealing with the gay community I don't think it would have made any difference

A sign of that sort is not a license to discriminate. From a legal standpoint it is meaningless. It would not be just the gay community. If a white supremacist had such a sign in his place of business he couldn't claim that allows him to deny service to non-whites. Nor could a Baptist business owner deny service to Catholics. The law prohibits discrimination against defined classifications. I Oregon, the set of classifications include race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.

The conflict between the First Amendment and the state anti-discrimnation law is a serious issue.