Colorado couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins wanted their wedding day to be special, so they hired Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, to bake their cake. The cake shop is known for it’s custom-made cakes, their motto being: “If you can think it up, Jack can make it into a cake!” Apparently, this motto doesn’t apply to gay people.
Things got complicated when Phillips refused to make the cake because of his Catholic beliefs. He claimed that he’s an artist and that he can’t force himself to make art that goes against his beliefs. Aw. Logically, this didn’t go over well with the couple, who sued Phillips for discrimination. Colorado is a state with anti-discrimination laws, preventing businesses from denying their services to people based on sexual orientation, race, and others.
The baker’s defense claims that Phillips has a right to practice his beliefs, and that his speech should be protected by the first amendment. Phillips currently has support from the Trump administration, which claims that his speech should be protected and that he offered the couple other types of cakes, that were pre-made. Phillips defense claims that no one should be forced to do something that goes against their religious beliefs.
The ACLU believes that the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission is about more than free speech. They believe that Phillips winning this case could set a dangerous precedent to the country, for the future of gay couples and minorities.
“If a baker can reject LGBTQ people because of who we are, then what about the mechanic, the florist, the doctor, the teacher? This is not about cake. This is not about art. This is about survival.”
