Colorado's Department of Regulatory Agencies has determined that Denver-based Azucar Bakery did nothing wrong in
refusing to put an anti-gay message on a cake. The customer wanted a cake with anti-gay imagery and an anti-gay message.
From 9News.com:
In the ruling released Friday, the Colorado Civil Rights Division rejected the argument that Azucar Bakery discriminated against the customer's religion when it refused the order in March 2014.
The state ruled that the cake shop had every right not to make the cakes on the grounds that the message on the cakes would be "derogatory."
The customer, Castle Rock resident Bill Jack, wanted a cake showing two groomsmen with a red "x" over them and messages about homosexuality being a sin.
Because the shop would have treated any other customer the same way, the state decided the shop didn't refuse service because of the customer's religion.
From
The Washington Post:
Owners of a Denver bakery did not discriminate against a customer by refusing to fulfill an order requesting two cakes with ant-gay imagery and wording on them. That’s the message from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, which ruled that the Azucar Bakery was within its rights when employees refused to carry out an order from customer William Jack in March 2014, according to the Denver Post. Jack, a Christian who originally told reporters that he believes Azucar Bakery “discriminated” against him “based on my creed,” had asked the bakery to bake him two Bible-shaped cakes, ABC affiliate 7 News Denver reported.
The first cake would include disdainful words about gays and a second cake would include two men holding hands and an X on top of them. Jack asked that the cake be decorated with the biblical verses “God hates sin. Psalm 45:7″ and “Homosexuality is a detestable sin. Leviticus 18:2,” the decision by the department’s Civil Rights Division said, according to 7 News Denver. Marjorie Silva, the bakery’s owner, agreed to make the cakes but refused to put the ant-gay imagery on them, according to the AP. “It’s just horrible. It doesn’t matter if, you know, if you’re Catholic, or Jewish, or Christian, if I’m gay or not gay or whatever,” Silva, 40, told the Associated Press. “We should all be loving each other. I mean there’s no reason to discriminate.”
via
JMG
The ruling can be appealed to the state civil rights commission or in court.