The owners of a bakery in Oregon, who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, were recently found guilty of violating the state’s anti-discrimination law. Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, argue however that they were abiding by their Christian faith that approves of marriage between a man and a woman only.
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries announced on February 9 that the couple would have to pay a fine of up to $150,000 for violating the Oregon Equality Act, 2007. According to the Bureau, the exact amount would be determined at the next hearing, which is scheduled to take place on March 10.
During an interview earlier this year, Aaron said the fine would make the family bankrupt and that is a highly undesirable situation, considering the couple has five children to take care of.
Responding to the bureau’s decision, the couple posted a statement on their bakery’s Facebook page, according to which, the contention arose in February 2013, when Laurel Bowman and her partner Rachel Cryer asked the Kleins to design a wedding cake for their same-sex commitment ceremony. At that time, Oregon recognized marriage as a union between a man and a woman only, a stance that had been approved by voters through an amendment in 2004.
Even though the Kleins say their decision to deny services to the lesbian couple was based on their own constitutionally protected right to religion, they also went on to tell the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries that at the time of the apparent discrimination, same-sex marriage had not yet been recognized by their state. It was only months after Aaron and Melissa denied services to Bowman and Cryer that a federal judge overturned Oregon’s amendment restricting marriage as a union of one man and one woman, thus paving the way for gay and lesbian marriages in the state.
“Ironically, the state was in violation of its own anti-discrimination laws,” said Aaron.
Charlie Burr, spokesperson for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, said, “Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation.”
Surprisingly, a self-described gay evangelical Christian, Matt Stolhandske came forward to help the Kleins raise money for their fine. His petition on Rally.org has raised more than $4,000 so far.
In an editorial piece in the Washington Post, Stolhandske wrote, “The Kleins say the $150,000 fee will bankrupt her family. I’m raising money to help offset that cost. I’ll send whatever we raise along to the Klein family with a message of love and peace. I don’t want them to suffer. But I am also pleading with them and other Christians to stop using the name of Jesus to explain to the LGBT community why we don’t deserve access to the civil rights afforded to heterosexuals through the legal institution of marriage. I hope the Kleins will accept this sign of good will. After all, they must see that our goals here are the same – to live our lives as we see fit and be treated equally under the law.”
Anna Harmon, lawyer for Aaron and Melissa, clarified to the media that her clients had politely declined Stolhandske’s help.
“Mr Stolhandske offered to give the money to Aaron and Melissa, but they politely declined for various reasons including the fact that the [administrative law judge] had not yet determined that any amount of money was due,” she said.
Once the final amount is decided upon on March 10, Harmon said the couple would be able to determine the complete financial impact of the charges brought against them.
Photo Credits: Gaystar News
