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By Todd Starnes
Published June 03, 2014
FoxNews.com
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T O D D ' S A ME R I C A N D I S PAT C H
Baker forced to make gay wedding cakes, undergo sensitivity
training, after losing lawsuit
A family owned bakery has been ordered to make wedding cakes for gay couples and guarantee that its staff be given
comprehensive training on Colorados anti-discrimination laws after the states Civil Rights Commission determined the
Christian baker violated the law by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, in Lakewood, Colorado was directed to change his store policies
immediately and force his staff to attend the training sessions. For the next two years, Phillips will also be required to
submit quarterly reports to the commission to confirm that he has not turned away customers based on their sexual
orientation.
File: March 10, 2014: Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips decorates a cake inside his store, in Lakewood, Colo.AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file
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They are turning people of faith into religious refugees. ... Is this the society that we want to live in
where people of faith are driven out of business?
- Nicolle Martin, attorney, Alliance Defending Freedom
Think of it as reverse conversion therapy (or straight mans rehab) so that the state can mandate diversity through
conformity.
The plight of Jack Phillips and his family is something I write about in my new book, God Less America. His story of
religious persecution is one of many that I document.
Nicolle Martin, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom, called the ruling Orwellian and said they are considering an
appeal.
They are turning people of faith into religious refugees, Martin told me. Is this the society that we want to live in where
people of faith are driven out of business?
Martin said it was truly frightening that Phillips will be forced to submit quarterly reports to the government disclosing
whether he turned away any wedding cake business.
There will be some reporting requirements so that Jack can demonstrate that he doesnt exercise his belief system
anymore that he has divested himself of his beliefs, she said.
He will also be required to create new policies and procedures for his staff.
We consider this reporting to be aimed at rehabilitating Jack so that he has the right thoughts, Martin said. Thats
offensive to everything America stands for.
Phillips, who is celebrating his 40th year in business this week, told me hes not going to create any new policies.
My old ones are pretty adequate as far as Im concerned, he said. I dont plan on giving up my faith and changing
because of that.
The controversy started in 2012 when a gay couple asked Phillips to make their wedding cake. Phillips politely declined,
saying he could not make a cake promoting a same-sex ceremony because of his faith. He offered to make them any other
baked item they wanted.
Charlie Craig and David Mullins filed a complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission alleging they were
discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. For the record, same-sex marriage is against the law in
Colorado.
The commission affirmed a civil courts ruling that the bakery cannot discriminate against persons in a public place based
on sexual orientation.
You can have your beliefs, but you cant hurt other people at the same time, Commission Chairwoman Katina Banks told
The Denver Channel.
ACLU attorney Amanda Goad, who heads up the organizations LBGT group, heralded the ruling.
Religious freedom is undoubtedly an important American value, but so is the right to be treated equally under the law free
from discrimination, she said in a statement.
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No, my dear. Religious freedom is a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT.
Everyone is free to believe what they want, but businesses like Masterpiece Cakeshop cannot treat some customers
differently than others based on who they are as people, Goad added.
David Mullins, one of the two men who brought the lawsuit against Phillips, was thrilled with the ruling.
What should have been a happy day for us turned into a humiliating and dehumanizing experience because of the way we
were treated, he said in an ACLU statement.
Who knew butter cream frosting could cause such angst?
No one should ever have to walk into a store and wonder if they will be turned away just because of who they are, Mullins
added.
But thats not what Phillips did. He was more than willing to make them a cupcake.
Jack doesnt turn people away, Martin told me. There are just some events that he wont lend his artistry to.
The ACLU accused Masterpiece Cakeshop of considering itself above the law.
Everyone who shops in our stores and conducts business in our state should be treated with equality and dignity,
attorney Paula Greisen said in an ACLU of Colorado statement. Thats what this ruling was about.
No maam, it was not. That ruling was about bullying bullying Christians.
Theres a collision between religious liberty and the gay rights movement, Martin told me.
This collision is coming to the forefront almost every day. Somebody is losing their liberty, their job or both.
But thank goodness for someone like Jack Phillips, who refused to capitulate to the governments demands.
My God is bigger than any bullies theyve got, he said. I dont worry about it. I honor my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
and be true to what He wants me to do.
And the Civil Rights Commission is going to have a mighty hard time trying to rehabilitate Phillips and his staff.
My 87-year-old mom works here and she says shes not being rehabilitated, he said.
Martin said the Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to stand with Jack against overreach and tyranny by the state.
Jack has gone out on a limb and taken this stand and not capitulated to the governments demands, she said. That
speaks volumes about him.
And should the highest court in the land force Jack to do the bidding of homosexuals?
Theres civil disobedience, Phillips told me. Well see what happens. Im not giving up my faith. Too many people have
died for this faith to give it up that easily.
Meanwhile, the bullying tactics of the militant gay rights community have not hampered the bakerys bottom line. Theyve
gotten so much business from the sales of cookies and brownies, theyve temporarily stopped making wedding cakes.
Obey Christ rather than worry about what man can do to you, Phillips said.
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There you have it, folks. In Colorado, you cant have your cake and religious beliefs, too.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch
newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is "God Less America.
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