Sweet Cakes by Melissa

Sweet Cakes by Melissa was a cake shop in Gresham, Oregon, in the United States. It gained widespread press attention in January 2013 when it turned away customers who wanted cakes for a same-sex wedding, who then made a complaint to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, claiming their civil rights under the Oregon Equality Act had been infringed.[1][2][3]

The owners of the business stated that they had refused to cater for the wedding because of their religious beliefs, and that their right to do so was protected by the U.S. constitution.[4] They subsequently closed the shop, and carried out their business from home.[4][5]

In April 2015, an administrative court made a preliminary decision to penalize the business.[1] The owners of the business opened a GoFundMe appeal, “Support Sweet Cakes by Melissa”, which raised over $100,000 before it was shut down by GoFundMe, who stated that the campaign was not compatible with their terms of service.[6] In a statement, GoFundMe confirmed that the funds raised before the appeal was shut down would still be available for withdrawal.[6]

The administrative court's decision was confirmed in a final order by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries in July 2015.[7] The owners of the business have stated that they will contest the Bureau's decision.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 George Rede (April 24, 2015). "Same-sex couple in Sweet Cakes controversy should receive $135,000, hearings officer says". Oregon Live. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. ↑ Sara Roth (3 February 2015). "Bakery risks large fine for anti-gay discrimination". USA Today. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Same-sex couple files formal civil rights complaint with BOLI against Gresham bakery" (PDF). Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. 14 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 Curtis M. Wong (1 October 2014). "Sweet Cakes By Melissa's Owners Say Fine For Rejecting Lesbian Couple Will Leave Them Bankrupt". Huffington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Chelsea Kopta (2 September 2013). "Sweet Cakes owners respond to firestorm over wedding cake decision". KATU. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 Byron Beck (25 April 2015). "“Support Sweet Cakes by Melissa” GoFundMe Page Violates Terms". GoLocalPDX. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Valerie Richardson (July 2, 2015). "Sweet Cakes by Melissa owners owe $135,000 in damages for gay wedding refusal". The Washington Times.
  8. ↑ Michael Muskal (4 July 2015). "Bakery ordered to pay $135,000 for denying wedding cake to lesbian couple". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 July 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 45°30′14″N 122°25′48″W / 45.5040°N 122.4301°W / 45.5040; -122.4301

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, January 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.