Anti-LGBT Colorado Baker And State Agree To Truce

March 5, 2019 Christianists, Civil Rights

The Denver Post reports:

Litigation between the owner of Lakewood’s Masterpiece Cakeshop and the state will end after the baker agreed to drop his lawsuit alleging the Colorado Civil Rights Commission was harassing him for refusing to make cakes with LGBTQ themes in exchange for the commission dropping its own actions against him.

“After careful consideration of the facts, both sides agreed it was not in anyone’s best interest to move forward with these cases,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a news release Tuesday announcing the agreement. “The larger constitutional issues might well be decided down the road, but these cases will not be the vehicle for resolving them.”

From local LGBT rights group One Colorado:



Despite the mutual agreement between the State of Colorado and Masterpiece Cakeshop, the law is still the law. No matter who you are, who you love, or what you believe, Coloradans across our state – including LGBTQ Coloradans and their families – are still protected under Colorado law from discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations.

We strongly believe that the freedom of religion must be defended as one of our most fundamental values as Americans, and that freedom cannot be used to harm or discriminate against others. The fact remains that Colorado has a civil rights division and anti-discrimination laws that equally protect the fundamental rights of all Coloradans.

Businesses may decide what products or services they offer, but they do not get to pick and choose who they offer those products or services to. The very narrow ruling by the Supreme Court in Masterpiece vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission does not change our country’s long-standing principle that businesses open to the public must be open to all.

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