Gresham, Oregon, bakery that denied same-sex wedding cake closes

[n2doc]

by Evan Sernoffsky, kgw.com staff
Posted on September 1, 2013 at 12:45 PM
Updated today at 12:55 PM

GRESHAM, Ore. – A Gresham bakery that refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, prompting a state investigation, is shutting its doors.

As first reported in Willamette Week, Sweet Cakes by Melissa posted on its Facebook page, “This will be our last weekend at the shop we are moving our business to an in home bakery. I will post our new number soon.”

In January, Laurel Bowman said Sweet Cakes by Melissa refused to sell her a cake after learning it would be for a same-sex wedding.

more
http://www.kgw.com/news/Gresham-bakery-that-denied-same-sex-wedding-cake-closes--222004711.html

I guess the kitchen got too hot for them....

[gopiscrap]

1. Good

[NYC_SKP]

2. Let them go work for Chick Fil A

The A is for assholes.

[Lex]

3. Consequences.

If they want to hold on to their bigotry, they have to be willing to accept the consequences.

[Billy Love]

4. Guess they couldn't generate enough business to keep the store....

and good riddance to bad rubbish.

The home bakery will be shut down shortly after no-one calls the new number (after it was accidentally transferred to a sex line)

[Politicalboi]

5. I say

Let them eat cake. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Poor babies and their religious freedom.

[progressoid]

6. Awww

[Cha]

7. oh yes, I remember that fiasco! Hope they get a chance to

evolve on their bigotry.

[Zorra]

8. I won't eat any food prepared by mean, ignorant, hateful people.

I don't care what group it is they hate. If they are bigots, I won't eat their food or have anything to do with them. They are ignorant and irrational. They might put rat poison in my food.

Fortunately, I live in a rural area that has, in the past 5 years or so, become a popular place to live for LGBT's, so naturally there are quite a few gay owned and gay friendly places to eat and drink around here now (oh, really GREAT food) so I never have to worry much about patronizing restaurants, bakeries, bars, etc owned by bigots, or being served by bigoted employees.

Anyway, I am totally into only patronizing LGBT family owned or managed businesses, or businesses owned or managed by allies, to the greatest extent possible.

And it is becoming more possible all the time. Put that rainbow flag outside the door of your business, and I will be your customer, because I will feel safe and respected when dealing with you.

Business owners everywhere who try to pray away the gay are finding out that praying away the gay literally doesn't pay.

Even if I was straight I wouldn't ever knowingly patronize bigots. Ick.

[alp227]

9. Haha, the FREE MARKET just mugged 'em. nt

[Rebellious Republican]

10. Business 101, keep your political and religious beliefs to yourself....

if you want to turn a profit. Unless your the Koch Brothers!

[n2doc]

11. The trick is, keep your beliefs secret

Until you are a billionaire and can buy off all the pols.

[Rebellious Republican]

12. Spot on!

[OneCrazyDiamond]

13. Doesn't "moving our business to an in home bakery"

mean they will still operate a bakery from their home?

I wonder if they will be allowed to exclude customers under that configuration?

[Rebellious Republican]

15. My guess is that their customers are going to exclude them.

The city of Portland has the seventh highest LGBT population in the country, with 8.8% of residents identifying as homosexual, and the metro area ranks fourth in the nation at 6.1%.[170]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Oregon

[quakerboy]

32. Though Gresham likes to think its a bit more "country".

and 10 miles past Gresham, toward the mountain, you start getting confederate flags on occasion. There are apparently a few who have never come to terms with Oregon being part of the union, not the confederacy.

[MADem]

39. They'll probably be making stuff like swastika shaped cakes,

or maybe ones that can be decorated with a burning cross....

I think they won't get a lot of business from nice folk....

[BlueJac]

14. Hater goes home....

GOOD.

[blue sky at night]

16. they sell a product we can all do better without anyway...

the idea of highly refined white flour, sugar and fat...not a good one. I will never eat cake again as I am proudly gluten free and low carb for life.

[Bluenorthwest]

17. This is Portland, you can have your gluten free cake and eat it too

New Cascadia Traditional™ is a dedicated gluten-free bakery, specializing in hand crafted artisan breads, pastries, cakes and cookies as well as pizzas and sandwiches.
http://www.newcascadiatraditional.com/about/

Welcome to Tula Gluten Free Bakery Cafe!
Serving a full-line of gluten free sweet and savory baked goods, breads, soups, salads, paninis and
delicious locally sourced beverages. Feel free to shop on our ‘goods’ page, for a selection
of our amazing gluten free baked goods delivered to your door anywhere in the US.
http://www.tulabaking.com/

The low carb thing is another trip, I don't care for it health wise myself.

[nomorenomore08]

22. Meh... I say moderation in all things, including moderation.

Nothing wrong with indulging from time to time.

[Skittles]

41. I'm enjoying a piece of cake right now

I believe in moderation, not exclusion

[niyad]

18. whahhhh- THEIR religious freedom is under attack!! sometimes, being an ignorant, hate-filled bigot

is simply not profitable. apparently, they think operating out of their home will allow them to continue being prosperous bigots.

several years ago, the owner of one of the few independent bookstores still left in the area announced that god had told her to remove all the new age/pagan books from her store, as they were all works of the devil. I said, "well, your god has spoken, let's see what goddess has to say about this bigotry. (i live in fundieville, home of fungus (aka focus on the family, new life, etc). six months later, she was out of business.

[James48]

19. Sweet Cakes...

Here is her facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Cakes-by-Melissa/352725392798

[dhol82]

33. no sign of her facebook page

just went to look and it seems that the page has been sent off into the cosmos. absolutely no sign of it.

[momrois]

20. Think they'll follow this rule?

http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/docs/pdf/pub_domkit.pdf

If you are considering the operation of a domestic kitchen, the following features will be required
of your home according to OAR 603-025-0200:
• Doors – any domestic kitchen doors must be kept closed during operation of the
domestic kitchen. [forget that "open concept"]
• People – No one other than the licensee and employees directly under his/her
supervision are permitted to directly engage in the processing, preparing, packaging, or
handling of commercial food and no other person than the licensee and employees are
allowed in the domestic kitchen during operating hours.
• Children – No infants or children allowed in kitchen during domestic kitchen processing
activity.
• Pets – No pets allowed – ever – in the same building that houses the domestic kitchen.
• Domestic Activity – All domestic activities must be completed before any commercial
processing or baking takes place.
• Storage – Separate closed storage facilities are required for ingredients, finished
products, cleaning materials, labels and packaging materials, as well as a separate
refrigerated storage for perishable materials. Storage of medical supplies is not permitted
in the domestic kitchen. A separate storage area must be provided for household
cleaning materials and other chemicals or toxic substances.
• Domestic Kitchens shall be available for inspection between 8 am & 5 pm weekdays or
other production times.

[Amysf]

27. Looks like pretty strict rules to me

I don't think she'll be able to follow all these rules strictly to the letter unless she has plenty of money to spend on all the requirements and enough employees to help her.

Not to mention her new-found homophobic notoriety in the Portland area has already bitten her in the ass.

In other words, I predict she'll be completely out of business faster than you can eat a cupcake.

[gopiscrap]

29. welcome to du

[jmowreader]

36. You don't do commercial baking in your regular kitchen

The bigot already owns commercial baking equipment. My bet is she builds an outbuilding and moves her equipment into it.

[gopiscrap]

21. fucking homophobes serves them right

the problem I have is that when my wife and I got married we got married in Richland WA and used the florist that wouldn't supply flowers for a same sex wedding. This was in 1980....they hadn't made any statement about the LGBT community at the time but had I known. Also the church we got married at (Richland Lutheran) has pulled out of the ELCA when the ELCA voted for the rights of LGBT pastors.

[AtheistKing]

23. What??

Being from all over Oregon, even though I now live in Texas, this came as a big surprise when I saw this.
I knew there was a little bit of bigotry, but I never heard of it being somewhere near Portland, especially in Gresham but they are everywhere, I suppose.
Serves them right, everybody deserves to have rights.

[Jesus Malverde]

24. Boycotts do work....nt

[Initech]

25. Karma, baby!!!

[David__77]

26. Sadly, some right-wingers will keep them afloat.

I'm sure they'll get some sympathy checks and business.

[Bette Noir]

28. Public accommodation.

Even if they're cooking at home, if they're open to the public, they have to serve anyone who offers to pay. That goes whether the person wanting to buy a wedding cake is a Satanist, an Iraqi, or Harvey Fierstein. Unless they operate as a private club, baking only for friends and family, they will be required to honor non-discrimination laws.

[8 track mind]

30. if you want a good laugh, go read some of the comments on their facebook page n/t

[nomorenomore08]

50. They have such an exaggerated persecution complex about this.

Like having to treat other people like human beings is a form of persecution in itself.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

52. If its the Sweet Cakes by Melissa Page

they are treating them like martyrs. Pathetic. They closed because the public didn't like their homohatred.

[Beartracks]

31. So, what happens now?

So, Melissa will work out of her home, where only "supporters" (those who support their faith/political leanings against same-sex marriage) will continue to do business with her, as well as those patrons who are just really good customers who would follow her anywhere.... And her business will drop off... And she'll wind up closing when it's no longer worth it to keep baking for such a small and limited clientele, and then...... she'll publicly blame President Obama.

Now, I don't want to see any entrepreneurialism go by the wayside.... but this is just sort of what I expect will happen.

Oh, and I forgot the last development of this prediction: Melissa winds up getting a cable news show on a local Fox affiliate, or runs for office as a Tea Partier. Or both.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[closeupready]

34. Haha!

[TeamPooka]

35. The marketplace has spoken

[LoisB]

37. Good.

[jmowreader]

38. Are you people nuts? This works out better than she could have imagined

There is a very simple, very legal way of not doing business with those you hate: don't let them know you're in business. If the only people who know she exists as a company are fundamentalist preachers and very-Christian wedding planners, she can thrive without ever having to bake a cake for a same-sex marriage again.

And now she doesn't have to pay rent on her storefront.

I say, let the wench wallow in her hate...it can't be possible that no one else in Gresham knows what royal icing is.

[countmyvote4real]

40. "God" can be such a bitch sometimes.

Perpetual looping entendre.

[Oldenuff]

42. They stood up for what they believe is right.

Everyone has rights...even people who don't support gay marriage.

[n2doc]

43. Nobody has a right to stay in business

They were selling a product that too few people wanted. Too bad. Maybe they should move to a less LGBT-tolerant place and try again. Maybe they should think about why it is that 99% of businesses keep their noses out of unrelated, controversial social issues....

[Oldenuff]

44. It is a niche market for sure

and if they want to limit their clientele to Hetero's,that is their business.Everyone deserves the right to believe as they will, and follow what they believe.Seems to me somebody got their feelings hurt because they felt discriminated against,and felt it necessary to retaliate.

[Zorra]

46. How about if they want to limit their business to white people only? nt

[closeupready]

48. Incorrect. Public accommodations can not discriminate.

[Zorra]

45. The same exact type of people who hate LGBT stood up for Jim Crow laws.

They all have the right to identify themselves as hateful and ignorant creatures.

Bigots are all the same at heart, on any day, in any age.

[JI7]

49. so you think Jim Crow was ok ?

[nomorenomore08]

51. Except it's already been decided that a minority group's right to participate in society

trumps the right of the majority to exclude them, for instance by refusing them jobs or accommodations. You can believe whatever you wish RE: human sexuality, and in your private life you can refuse to associate with anyone you please. But running a business is a different matter.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

53. And they can pay the price...

Just as LGBT people have paid the price over the millennia just for being LGBT.

[backscatter712]

55. Where were their rights violated?

They acted like bigoted assholes, their business got boycotted into bankruptcy. Cry me a river.

[Amimnoch]

56. Their arrest, incarceration, and water boarding was totally not the right thing to do!

Oh wait, none of that happened. So, I guess your statement is pure bullshit.

They do have a right to stand up for what they believe in, and they exercised that right, and no legal harm came to them as a result.. i.e. their rights are and remain fully intact.

The population in their area found what they did in refusing service to be completely unacceptable. The population exercised THEIR right to boycott, and ultimately shut down this business due to THEIR beliefs that what sweet cakes did was wrong.

Do you believe that sweet cakes has greater entitlement to stand up for what they believe in vs the citizens having their right to disagree?

[damonm]

47. So...how's that "free market" thing workin' for ya? n/t

[dgibby]

54. Just goes to prove that old adage:

you can't have your homophobic cake and sell it, too! I hope they have to declare bankruptcy.