Well, what do you know! It looks like our great national drive toward same-sex marriage is going to involve a bit of the old compulsive force after all. A husband-and-wife bakery in Oregon just learned this the hard way, as KGW News in Portland reports:
It started on Jan. 17 when a mother and daughter showed up at Sweet Cakes by Melissa looking for the perfect wedding cake.
"My first question is what's the wedding date," said owner Aaron Klein. "My next question is bride and groom's name ... the girl giggled a little bit and said it's two brides."
Klein apologized to the women and told them he and his wife do not make cakes for same-sex marriages. Klein said the women were disgusted and walked out.
"I believe that marriage is a religious institution ordained by God," said Klein. "A man should leave his mother and father and cling to his wife ... that to me is the beginning of marriage."
That sort of thing might have gone over in the old days of religious freedom and individual conscience, but not in the new America of government-ordained moral judgment, so Sweet Cakes now finds itself under scrutiny by the Oregon Department of Justice. The state law "prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation," which evidently not only means that Klein must sell his goods to same-sex couples (something he says he has absolutely no problem doing) but they can actively compel him to create a cake to order.
It will be interesting to see how the ensuing legal battle turns out. It's super-awesome that American small businesses are perpetually at risk of costly legal battles these days. I can't understand why they're not hiring more.
"I'd rather have my kids see their dad stand up for what he believes in then to see him bow down because one person complained," the baker declared, delivering a rather concise summary of the relationship between individuals and the State in today's America. Klein insists he has no hard feelings toward homosexuals; he just disagrees with them about gay marriage. According to KGW, he's getting "blasted" on the Internet, as the forces of tolerance teach him that no one is allowed to hold such a nuanced position.
