The owners of an Oregon bakery that closed shop last year after sparking national controversy by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple are sounding off on their state's new same-sex marriage legislation.
Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which closed its storefront in August and has since become a home bakery, offered the following statement on Facebook May 19, the same day that Oregon's same-sex marriage ban was struck down:
The following day, they once again sounded off:
In February 2013, Sweet Cakes By Melissa co-owner Aaron Klein told NBC he was simply living in accordance with his religious beliefs by rejecting a lesbian couple's request for a wedding cake.
"I believe that marriage is a religious institution ordained by God," Klein said at the time. Specifying that he does not consider himself to be anti-gay -- "I'll sell [gay people] stuff...I'll talk to them, it's fine" -- he went on to note, "I'd rather have my kids see their dad stand up for what he believes in than to see him bow down because one person complained."
Earlier this year, however, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries announced that it found substantial evidence that the Kleins broke the law when they first refused to prep the cake, as the bakery was a deemed business and public accommodation rather than a “religious institution” under law, regardless of the owners beliefs, according to KATU.
Before You Go
