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 Linda Thomas
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Cake.jpg
Aaron and Melissa Klein, who run a small family bakery in Oregon, say they've gotten "overwhelming" support after refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple because of their Christian faith. A Food Network cake star has offered to make the couple's cake for free. (Sweet Cakes by Melissa Facebook photo)

Support, criticism for Oregon baker who won't make a wedding cake for lesbian couple

February 4, 2013 @ 6:11 pm (Updated: 3:59 pm - 2/5/13 )

The owner of an Oregon bakery who didn't want to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple says he's being vilified because of his personal views about marriage.

The dispute involves a Portland woman, her fiancee and fiancee's mother. The mom and one of the brides-to-be went to Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham to order a cake.

Parties involved have now retained lawyers and won't talk about the incident, but one of the women told The Oregonian newspaper the baker refused to take their cake order.

Aaron Klein, who runs the bakery with his wife, reportedly called the lesbian couple "abominations unto the lord."

Klein denies calling the couple "abominations" and says same-sex marriage goes against his Christian faith, so he does not want to make a wedding cake for the couple.

The bakery owners' beliefs are not hidden. The Sweet Cakes website has a Bible verse on the homepage.

They also state: "We here at Sweet Cakes strongly believe that when a man and woman come together to be joined as one, it is truly one of the most special days of their lives."

The bakery was closed Monday, but supporters plan to show up at the shop Tuesday when it opens. In an email, the owner says the response to his decision has been "overwhelming."

"I am in full support," says Debby Tiner through Facebook. The bakery owner is "standing up for his God given rights to believe in the word of God. Amen to him."

"What ever happened to 'We have the right to refuse service to anyone?' Read the Bible and see what God has to say about this issue," says Harriet Perigo.

"If he doesn't want to accept their order then why should he have to? Go somewhere else to get your cake made, says Ruth Townsend. "It's a no-brainer."

Meanwhile, Duff Goldman, of the Food Network show, "Ace of Cakes," says he will make a cake for the Portland couple for free. Goldman, who owns Charm City Cakes, also says he'll personally drive it up from Los Angeles and deliver it for their wedding.

In a video on the Huffington Post, Goldman says he wanted to "right a wrong."

The Oregon attorney general's office is investigating a complaint against the bakery because of a state law that declares it is a violation for a business to deny full and equal accommodations for customers based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and other factors.

By LINDA THOMAS

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Comments (180)


  • Add A Comment

  • Cbrew wrote...
    It doesn't matter why the owner doesn't want to make their wedding cake
    February 5, 2013 9:58 am
    All business owners have the right to refuse service to anyone... If they don't want to make these women their wedding cake they don't have to, you can't force them to, would that not be akin to slavery? forced labor? Stop pushing your agenda how about just go find another cake shop that agrees with your lifestyle, this is crap... people who believe they deserve special rights are always trumping the rights of others and this is asking for special rights... If i went to this cake shop and the owner hated me because of something about me, he can refuse to make my cake... so there's absolutely no way you can say these women have more rights than i do and force them to make their cake unless you want to force the owner to make mine even though he hates me.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Cat50 wrote...
    Hidden Beliefs
    February 5, 2013 10:13 am
    More and more churches are becoming inclusive, so the addition of a Bible verse, especially John 3:16 does not indicate anti- marriage equality sentiments. Nor does being a Christian mean being a homophobe. Honestly, there are better places to draw a line in the sand for Christians than this one. Jesus said a lot more about hypocrisy and the poor than he ever said about being gay.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Jesus also said a lot more about hypocrisy...
    February 5, 2013 11:39 am
    ...than he said about rape and murder. Does that mean Christians are supposed to accept those things as being righteous and moral?

    "Love the sinner. Hate the sin." It doesn't make someone a homophobe.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    "Love the sinner, sell them a dang cake"
    February 5, 2013 12:03 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    "Love the sinner...
    February 5, 2013 12:06 pm
    ...sell the murderer a danged knife."
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    cat50...
    February 5, 2013 5:57 pm
    ... The Bible is very clearly against hypocracy. It's also very clear about homosexuality (even in the New Testament). It is not a line in the sand that we have drawn. the LGBT community and the heter-enablers who have drawn this line... christianity is merely holding the line. I am not willing to let this go. That does not mean I neglect other tenants of the faith.

    Remember, it was not Christianity that brought this fight front & center... it is the gay agenda does that. The baker did not make an issue of it... the lesbians are making the isse.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    I'll step into the circle jerk for a minute....
    February 5, 2013 10:36 am
    polygamy and incestuous marriage are not equal.. both have an unequal distribution of power and are prone to abuse, psych, emotional, sexual, physical etc. no matter how many sister wives you got, they ain't happy sharin the old man, same with uncle joebob wantin his lil cute niece.. and if anyone is really for polymarriage then bring it up with your wife and when she says "great,there's this hot young HS football player down the street I want to share you with,i'm sure you won't mind." If two old ladies want to sit on their family fortune we have legal arrangements for asset protection..family trusts,llc's etc. If your sibling is being abused do what everyone else does, pay your friends to put a bullet in their heads.. just make sure your the beneficiary.. shareholders are "married" stock purchase and number of shares held, we already have corporate law for that.. noting stopping them from combining shares/votes.. Only whitey says it's OK for a biz discriminate... How would you feel if you went into a Mexican restaurant with your family for your kids B-day and the server said "we don't serve gringos here." wife, horrified, kids cryin, you pissed off.. Don't think anyone would just quietly get up and walk out with a "thank you, sorry for the missunderstandin."
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  • dori monson fan wrote...
    why is this gay couple picking a fight?
    February 5, 2013 10:48 am
    the gay couple obviously saw the bible verse on the bakery's website and decided to attack their religious beliefs. couldn't just go to another bakery could you? had to push your gay agenda on this hard working family to further your cause.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    @DMF: I can't speak for the couple's "agenda" but....
    February 5, 2013 11:55 am
    The fact is that Oregon has a law that augments the Federal Civil Rights Act guaranteeing equal public access to everyone. Any business owner, who operates legally in the state, implicitly agrees to operate within that construct when they apply and pay for a license. If this person feels strongly about the clientele he wants to serve, then he can look for a state that allows him to arbitrarily discriminate based on sexual orientation or he can lobby his state legislature to repeal the law. In the meantime, I guess he can continue with his civil disobedience, but facing the consequences go along with that.

    Your assertion that the parties should just go somewhere else, rather than expect the business to operate legally is unreasonable. Why should the owner be excused from that operating parameter any more that he should be excused from say, washing his equipment or refrigerating ingredients? If you saw rats running around your local eatery would you just stop going there or would you say something? Any reasonable person would report them to the health department so they can be "forced" to clean up or close down.

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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Why should the business owner...
    February 5, 2013 12:00 pm
    ...be denied his First Amendment rights as a prerequisite to getting his business license?

    THAT is unreasonable.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Mavila wrote...
    Because state law always supercedes the...
    February 5, 2013 12:22 pm
    US Constitution, silly.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Citizen of Krazy Town wrote...
    @SeattleNative: You can join Cbrew in his grass-roots movement
    February 5, 2013 12:28 pm
    To go back to 1963.

    Good luck with that.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Typical loser comeback
    February 5, 2013 12:56 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    State Law...
    February 5, 2013 6:00 pm
    ... is always subject to the Constitution of the United States... period.

    If a state makes a bad law, it must be overturned.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    hold on a sec....
    February 5, 2013 6:14 pm
    I'll get back to this after I finish my blunt...no one for state's rights?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dori monson fan wrote...
    so what if a muslim family came in
    February 5, 2013 10:52 am
    and ordered a sept. 11th anniversary cake? would they have to make it or face a religious descrimination lawsuit?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    i agree...
    February 5, 2013 10:59 am
    the couple knew what they were doing from the moment they walked in the door and probably planed on a lawsuit... Sweet Cakes set themselves up with their facebook posts(nothing wrong with that BTW), but the homophobe reaction was waaaayyy over the top...This was a recent post of "Sweet Cakes" before the page was taken down.... "F_ _ k the N_ _ gers, S_ic_, wh___s, sodimites, fat b_ _ches, ugly c_ _ ts, hypocritical hoes and overweight hippos on our feed. We try so hard to bake cakes and all you ungrateful bullies hate on me and my beautiful family after these articles were written, shame on you! If you don't like our busineess then don't stop by! More cake for our fellow Christians!"
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    haha, well...
    February 5, 2013 11:45 am
    Judging by the equal opportunity exclusion criteria "melissa" posted on his/her Facebook page, if a Muslim walked in and ordered a cake for a 9/11 "anniversary" they may have a little issue with that...I picture Sasha Baron Cohen in the movie the Dictator, talkin about his buying his new 2012 Porsche 9/11 on the helicopter tour over New York City with the old couple.. his great grandpa served in the great American Civil Jihad..
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    gabewalker
    February 5, 2013 11:15 am
    fill in the blanks!! ordered a sept. 11th anniversary cake? Depends on what year!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    they said you wouldn't be sued if the laws passed.
    February 5, 2013 11:20 am
    liars on the ghea this and that are now suing people who won't go along with them. i say it's become ghea enough. i'm rooting for sharia law to clean up filthy america.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hnuh wrote...
    The only tolerance
    February 5, 2013 11:22 am
    homosexuals will tolerate is YOU doing what THEY say is right. To this subculture (less than 3%) the only satisfaction is bending the (more than 97%) to their will. Tolerance to this subculture is a one way street.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    Bakin cakes is gay anyway...
    February 5, 2013 11:33 am
    I's guarantee his words are a reflection of his deep seated beliefs that he is gay... Guy is a Cake decorator, names his place Sweet Cakes by Melissa.. Probably teased harassed for years... Just lashin out now..."no, no, no, I'm not." Pastor, priest, minister,politician's yellin, preachin, about gays,homosexuality, race issues ALWAYS turn out to be what? Gay..and/or doin the black maid and hiddin the baby, sleeping with male masseuses, prostitutes, little boys etc. Overly outspoken professional athletes in homoerotic, gladiator sports sayin "I don't do the gay guys." DEFINITELY does the gay guys...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Ignorance
    February 5, 2013 11:44 am
    You obviously haven't visited their website.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gabewalker wrote...
    yep I have...
    February 5, 2013 12:16 pm
    as for my above statement. first half tongue in cheek, however he has a very rigid value/belief system and because of that most individuals experienc extreme conflict, stress, anger, anxiety when those values meet with opposing viewpoints... Same for the lesbian couple,regardless how "liberal" their views they are very rigid and antagonistic as well.. they probably knew what they were doing when they walked in there. as for the second half of my statement.. right on target... you see enough of the ted haggards, tom brocks, strom thurmonds that validate and support that "opinion"..other examples here.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V39WFJIESU
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • po_guy wrote...
    Not EVERYONE
    February 5, 2013 2:28 pm
    is like you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zoeller wrote...
    "abominations unto the lord."
    February 5, 2013 11:52 am
    That about sums it up.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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