OREGON: Baker Refuses To Make Wedding Cake For Lesbian Couple

The state of Oregon is following up on a discrimination complaint from a lesbian couple who were refused service by a wedding cake baker.

Did Sweet Cakes owner Aaron Klein violate the law when he told the couple that he couldn’t sell them a cake because “they were abominations to the Lord?” That’s what Oregon Attorney General's civil enforcement officers are looking into after one of the brides-to-be filed a complaint on Jan. 28. The woman who filed the complaint said she had previously bought a cake from Sweet Cakes for her mother’s wedding. It was fine. But when her partner went back for their wedding cake on Jan. 17, the owner refused.

Klein on Friday denied making the harsh statement, but admitted to a KATU reporter on camera that he did deny her service. “I apologized for wasting their time and said we don’t do same-sex marriages,” he said. I “honestly did not mean to hurt anybody, didn’t mean to make anybody upset, (it’s) just something I believe in very strongly.” But beliefs aren’t enough to cover him under state law. The Oregon Equality Act of 2007 prohibits discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The statute includes public accommodations, such as businesses.

Anti-gay groups are already excitedly tweeting news links to the case. You can expect the Sweet Cakes case to be included in upcoming marriage equality testimonies.