Masterpiece Cakeshop Is Being Sued For The Third Time With Claims Of LGBTQ Discrimination
And the world keeps turning. If you’re a member of the LGBTQ community, chances are you are very familiar with a particular Colorado bakery: Masterpiece Cakeshop owned by the very Christian Jack Phillips. Phillips refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding and it became a media frenzy. The cake denial eventually led to a Supreme Court lawsuit – seriously – where Phillips actually took the W in his favor after the Supreme Court voted for him, seven to two. He was sued once again last summer by transgender lawyer, Autumn Scardina. She wanted a cake celebrating her birthday and the anniversary of her transition from a male to a female – openly stating this upon ordering. Phillips refused and her lawsuit claimed that despite him stating he would sell cakes to LGBTQ persons, he still isn’t. Her original lawsuit was eventually dismissed. Fast forward to today.
According to NBC News, Scardina is revisiting her lawsuit against Phillips/Masterpiece Cakeshop, but now in state court. ADF Legal released a press statement regarding the lawsuit telling:
On June 26, 2017, a local attorney named Autumn Scardina called Masterpiece Cakeshop and requested a custom cake: designed blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate and reflect Scardina’s transition from male to female. The shop declined the request because the message of the cake contradicts Jack’s religious belief that God creates us either male or female. When Scardina filed a charge against Jack with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, it took the charge as an excuse to go after Jack again. It wasn’t until Jack sued the state for targeting him and ADF uncovered more evidence demonstrating the state’s anti-religious hostility that Colorado officials finally ended their crusade against him.
With the lawsuit now in state court, Phillips could potentially fork almost $100K in fees, fines, and damages. Basically, the lawsuit revived by Scardina seems like it will once again be dismissed and is conjured up to bury Phillips once again and make him go broke. Is this a type of “cancel culture” multiplied by a million? Is this a design to truly destroy someone’s life and business? After the original lawsuit, Phillips allegedly lost 40% of his business revenue. Yes, we can debate all day what is morally right or wrong, but what one thinks is green, another can think is blue. There is the choice to be welcomed at another bakery and not try to bring your business to an individual that does not respect others, but it seems some keep putting their thumb on this business to push an agenda. Have we really gotten to a point where if someone doesn’t agree with us we have to go to war with them to prove a point?
It doesn’t appear that Phillips will ever change his mind. He won’t sell gay wedding cakes or transition celebration cakes. There must be countless of others in the very liberal state of Colorado who will fill an order from an LGBTQ+ citizen with no issues. Faith is a complicated, strange culture that some of us cannot understand, but others absolutely live by it.
Do you believe Phillips is being targeted? Should Scardina let the lawsuit go and move on with her life? Should we try to initiate a cancel culture around businesses that don’t deserve our business or just give the business to owners that deserve it?
Writer’s Note: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
If you operate a public business than you serve all. Private/membership businesses have the right to serve only who they want. Very clear difference in the legal standing of the law.
I don’t know that he’s being targeted but I have to wonder if her being a lawyer doesn’t create an instinct to be litigious. I think it’s ridiculous how prone we are to jump to the law, I say leave some poignant reviews for the place. Disclose it’s obvious bias and move on to enterprises that want our business. I mean really do you want a cake from someone bitter over having to make it for you. And also wasn’t his bias already known so seems kind of like she wanted to test the theory of his claims that he was open to LGBT business. I could understand if it was say a wedding photographer or some other time sensitive service where they promised to deliver but back out at the last second. That is unacceptable, and yeah it’s kind of an affront that he is upfront not wanting your business. I just don’t know how long he can operate if he’s losing that much business. Also, is cancel culture even necessary? What do we gain by not listening to each other and the differences we have? Change happens by educating and we can’t do that if we don’t know where we all are coming from. I think people forget that gay marriage happened through the courts not 100% through public opinion the fight for our rights to be treated with dignity and respect hasn’t stopped and likely won’t for a while. But we should do it while remembering that despite it being 2020 people are still woefully misinformed and ignorant about the LGBT community. We will get more out of an open handed approach than the closed fist. My two cents anyway.