Queer Voicessweet-cakes-by-melissa-anti-gaymarriage equalityGay Marriage

Sweet Cakes By Melissa, Oregon Bakery That Denied Gay Couple A Wedding Cake, Closes Shop

Bakery That Turned Away Lesbian Brides-To-Be Shutters, But Vows 'The Fight Is Not Over'
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The Oregon bakery which sparked the ire of same-sex marriage advocates nationwide by refusing to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple has closed up shop.

As Willamette Week first reported, Sweet Cakes by Melissa closed its storefront on Saturday, Aug. 31, as the shop is not open for business on Sundays.

"This will be our last weekend at the shop we are moving our business to an in home bakery," an Aug. 30 entry on Sweet Cakes' Facebook page reads. "I will post our new number soon. Email will stay the same melissa@sweetcakesweb.com."

Meanwhile, KOIN reports that a sign hinting at the controversy that ensued after co-owner Aaron Klein cited his religious beliefs in turning away the lesbian brides-to-be earlier this year appeared on the bakery's door a day after the shop closed for good.

“This fight is not over," the sign read, according to the report. "We will continue to stand strong. Your Religious Freedom is becoming not Free anymore. This is ridiculous that we can not practice our faith. The LORD is good and we will continue to serve Him with all our heart."

The shop's closing came on the heels of news that the lesbian couple that Klein rejected had filed a complaint with the state, alleging that Sweet Cakes by Melissa discriminated against them based on their sexual orientation, according to Oregon Live.

In response to the complaint, the bakery's co-owner Melissa Klein argued that turning away the couple was "definitely not discrimination at all."

"We don't have anything against lesbians or homosexuals," she said in August. "It has to do with our morals and beliefs. It's so frustrating because we went through all of this in January, when it all came out."

Her remarks echoed sentiments her husband Aaron shared with NBC earlier this year. "I think [the state labor commissioner] is going to have decide what's more important: The Oregon State Constitution, or the statute that was passed in 2007," he said at the time. "They dropped the ball by not putting in any exemption for religious beliefs."

Meanwhile, the company's Facebook page has been filled with a myriad of supportive comments.

"I am saddened to hear that you're closing your shop. It is terrible that you live in the U.S.A. -- land where our forefathers fought and died for our freedoms, and you have been criticized and threatened for standing up for what you believe in," one user wrote. "You have the right to do that, and I fully support the decisions you have made! Hope things go well for you and your business continues to flourish!"

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Before You Go

LBGT Service Cases
(01 of07)
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An Iowa lesbian couple might have hoped to find a wedding cake that was both delicate and sweet, but they say their experience with a Des Moines-based baker left behind a sour taste. As KCCI-TV is reporting, the owner of Victoria's Cake Cottage refused to bake a cake for Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers, who are planning a June wedding, because she is Christian. Victoria Childress, who runs her bakery from home, says it's her right as a business owner to turn away customers."I said, 'I'll tell you I'm a Christian, and I do have convictions.' And I said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm not going to be able to do your cake," Childress, who met the couple during a taste-testing appointment, said. "I didn't do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle. It is my right, and it's not to discriminate against them. It's not so much to do with them, it's to do with me and my walk with God and what I will answer [to] Him for." (credit:AP)
(02 of07)
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A Phoenix-based lesbian couple cried foul after being told to "get a room" by a hotel restaurant manager during a romantic dinner. The Arizona Republic says Kenyata White and Aeimee Diaz, both 38, chose to celebrate their two-year anniversary at the District American Kitchen and Wine Bar, located inside the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, on Sunday because they met there. "My partner and I were reminiscing...in one of the tall booths," White told the paper. "I had my arm around her neck, and she had her hand around my waist. I gave her a hug for about a minute, pulled myself away to give her a quick kiss, and then we continued talking."White told AZ Family that she and Diaz were then approached by a restaurant manager, who "came up to us and said we should get a room. That our behavior was inappropriate and we should leave the establishment."
(03 of07)
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Rose Marie Belforti, the town clerk in Ledyard, N.Y., drew national attention after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The town's government is behind Belforti, saying it cannot force her to issue licenses. (credit:AP)
(04 of07)
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A Florida-based lesbian couple said they were humiliated by their driver's license application "nightmare" after the Pinellas County DMV rejected their name change request after an hour-long wait.
(05 of07)
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The owner of a new gay bar on Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood said he was refused service because a printing company thinks homosexuality is wrong. The printing company's owner argued he didn't approve of the artwork on the promotional material. (credit:Getty )
(06 of07)
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Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville, Vermont after the proprietors refused to host Katherine Baker and Ming-Lien Linsley's same-sex wedding reception. As ABC is reporting, the inn updated its website shortly thereafter to announce it is "no longer hosting weddings or special events." (credit:AP)
(07 of07)
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In August, Alix Genter, a lesbian bride-to-be, claimed to have been denied service at Here Comes the Bride in Somers Point, N.J., after the salon's manager said she didn't want to be associated with the pending "illegal action," according to the Philadelphia Daily News. (credit:Alamy)
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