Gresham Sweet Cakes bakery accused of gay discrimination over same-sex cake order

In the neighborhood where I live in Gresham Oregon, the Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery story has become the topic of the week. Their recent refusal to fill an order  for a same-sex wedding cake for a couple has enraged some and spurred support from others.

According to an article on oregonlive.com, “The Gresham bakery owners refused to make a wedding cake for a Portland lesbian couple which has led the couple to file a state complaint. The state attorney general’s office announced last Friday it was reviewing a complaint filed Jan. 18 by Laurel Bowman. The complaint stems from a visit by her fiancée and her fiancée’s mother the previous day to Sweet Cakes by Melissa, for a wedding cake.”

According to the complaint, when one of the bakery owners, Aaron Klein, discovered the cake was for a same-sex marriage, he called the couple “abominations unto the Lord” and made other comments that reduced the fiancée to tears.

Oregon State law states 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.
I decided to search Yelp for local reviews and as expected, it’s been flooded with new reviews filled with comments supporting the couple. Other news sites and blogs carrying this story show the same effect.

Mac! Mac and Cheesery, a North Portland restaurant posted a picture of Aaron Klein on their Facebook page and declared, “I’m posting a picture of this man behind the counter so my employees know not to serve him.”
The Sweet Cakes owners have until next week to file their response to the complaint with the state attorney general’s office, said Jeff Manning, an attorney general’s spokesman. After that, the complaint might be referred to the state Bureau of Labor and Industries.

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