From the cake store to the courtroom
When gay couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins enquired about a wedding cake in 2012, little did they know that they’d be embroiled in a Supreme Court Case five years later!
However, that’s exactly where the couple now finds themselves as they prepare to head to the Supreme Court after a five-year legal battle which all stems from visiting a Colorado cake store.
No woman, no cake
When the now married couple visited Masterpiece Cakeshop in the summer of 2012 they were shocked when owner Jack Phillips told them that they didn’t do cakes for same-sex weddings.
Unhappy with Phillip’s prejudice, the couple has been in and out of court with the cake maker ever since, something they admit has taken an emotional toll on the couple.
The issue will now come to its climactic ending as both parties head to the United States Supreme Court, alongside the state of Colorado, to try and find a resolution to the matter.
Supreme court and same-sex marriage…
It’s the Supreme Court’s third case regarding same-sex marriage and one which will challenge the Constitution’s right to free speech and religious belief against state laws which are said to act against discrimination.
Phillip’s, a devout Christian who doesn’t believe in same-sex marriage, is fighting for the right of “creative artists” to choose what they sell. Whilst, Craig and Mullins are fighting for LGBT rights to choose what they can purchase.
Speaking of the incident and Phillip’s using his religious beliefs as reasoning, Mullins said:
“I want him to have his own religious beliefs and his own experiences and his own ideas,”
Before adding: “But you cannot practice your religion in a way that denigrates others or excludes them from full participation in public life.”
The couple and the cake maker haven’t exchanged words since their dispute in the cake shop over five years ago. However, have been in and out of courtrooms with each other ever since.
So far, Mullins and Craig have won at both the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and the state Court of Appeals. But at a conservative strengthened Supreme Court things could get a little more difficult for the married couple.
Phillip’s has been financially devastated by the case. Claiming that his once 10 person workforce has been cut down to 4 after losing an estimated 40% of his business because he’s stopped making wedding cakes altogether. A decision he made after the civil rights commision ordered he treat all couples equally. However, he believes that his decision has helped his “faith to grow”.
However, Craig and Mullins claim that the incident caused them tears and all they were looking for was to be treated the same as everybody else. And warn that this type of discrimination is extremely harmful.
The couple say that it shows the progress that LGBT rights have made though in the last few years for their case to be treated so seriously and bring up so many talking points
Source: USA TODAY
