Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission has already handed down its decision in a case involving a baker who favors biblical marriage – now it will hear one concerning a baker who favors same-sex “marriage.” A customer walked into Azucar Bakery in Denver and requested a cake in the shape of a Bible inscribed with what bakery owner Marjorie Silva describes as “a hateful message” and an “X” through the image of a same-sex couple.
Silva agreed to bake the cake in the shape requested, but refused to add the inscription. The customer left and later filed a complaint before the Commission.
Alliance Defending Freedom represents Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips, who has already been found guilty of discrimination because, based on his Christian faith, he refused to do a special cake for a same-gender “wedding.” ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco argues that Silva has every right to decline to promote a message with which she sincerely disagrees – the same stance ADF took in defending Phillips.
“So the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which now has a complaint before it on [the Silva] case, has to decide whether this baker is going to have their First Amendment rights respected – or if they’re going to be put in the same position as Jack Phillips, who faces potentially losing his business just because they exercised their First Amendment right.
“We support the right of this baker who didn’t want to create a cake that was contrary to their beliefs,” he summarizes.
Tedesco says the state can go one of two ways in the matter.
“Colorado is either going to have to say We don’t care about anybody’s First Amendment rights in our state – or they may say, Well, we’re going to play favorites. We’re going to allow the baker who supports same-sex marriage to decline to provide services to people who object to that point of view.”
According to the attorney, the state would be stating the latter by allowing the baker who supports homosexual marriage to get away with it and letting stand the punishment against Christian baker Phillips. He has taken his case to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
This article was originally posted at the OneNewsNow.com website.
