How Much Gay Wedding Cake Would A  Straight Baker Chuck If A Court Says He Could?

The answer to this riddle is none.  As of  August 13th, baker Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado has to bake cakes for same-sex couples whether he approves or disapproves of their marriages.  So sayeth a state appeals court in Colorado.

Jack Phillips cannot use religious beliefs as an excuse for not making cakes for gays any longer. Phillips contends, however, that he is not discriminating against gays because he also will not bake Halloween cakes for he associates Halloween with Satan.

The complaint that was filed under Colorado law which bars discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation was filed by a gay couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins in July of 2012. The Colorado Civil Rights Administration as well as an administrative law judge ruled that this is illegal discrimination because “the same-sex marriage was so intrinsically related to the plaintiffs’ sexual orientation.”

The decision stated that no one would interpret Masterpiece’s providing a wedding cake for a same-sex couple as an endorsement of same-sex marriage. Instead, it’s a compliance with Colorado public accommodations law.  Baker Jack Phillips is entitled to his opinions on same-sex marriage which can differ from his same-sex customers’s viewpoints, the Colorado Appeals Court ruled.

Refusal to Comply with U.S. Supreme Court ‘s Decision on Gay Marriage

Ever since the June U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right in every state, cases like this one are cropping up. In New Mexico, Oregon, and the state of Washington, fines have been levied against a photographer, a baker, and a florist for refusing to provide business for same-sex weddings.  Probably lawyers will appeal the decision which these religious owners claim is a violation of their First Amendment rights?  Is this the same concept as forcing a Catholic School to provide contraception?

What do you think?  Are businesses disguising their homophobia by couching it in terms of their religious beliefs?  Are you harming others by denying them the same services as heterosexuals?  Is an objection to same-sex marriage the same as discrimination against a gay person?