Colorado Bakery Accused of Religious Discrimination After Failing to Put Gay Slur, Men Holding Hands on Cake
The owner of a Denver bakery has been accused of religious discrimination because she refused to put a gay slur on a Bible-shaped cake.
Fox 31 reported Marjorie Silva, who runs the Azucar Bakery in the Mile-High City, said she prefers not to repeat what term the customer demanded to have written on the pastry; but it was harsh enough for her to draw the line.
"I just want to make cake for happy people," Silva insisted. "I'm Christian. I support Christians. We make a lot of Christian cakes. But this just wasn't right."
The customer, however, who came into Silva's shop in March 2014 and then counseled her to consult an attorney over her refusal to bake the cake, ended up filing a religious discrimination complaint against the bakery.
The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies notified Silva of the proceedings and asked the store owner to present her own version of the events in writing. The department has indicated it will make a decision within 30 days of the receipt of the note.
"The customer wanted us to draw two males holding hands with a big 'X' on them," Silva wrote in her response. "We never refuse service. But we did feel it was not right for us to present hateful words or images about human beings."
Instead, the bakery owner offered to produce a cake showing a blank bible page and provide the customer with extra frosting to complete the pastry with the words of his choosing, but the man refused, Silva explained, according to Huffington Post.
Denver NBC affiliate 9News identified the customer as Bill Jack, the founder of the Worldview Academy, a "non-denominational organization" which purports to "(help) Christians think and live in accord with a Biblical worldview." Jack told the station that believes he was "discriminated against ... based on my creed."
"As a result, I filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights division," he said in a statement. "Out of respect for the process, I will wait for the director to release his findings before making further comments."
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