It’s happened again: WeddingCakeGate.
This time it’s Lorraine Fleming, the owner of Cake Pros in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania who has refused to bake a cake … bake a mother-effing cake … for a same-sex wedding because she says it violates her Christian right to bigotry, homophobia and just plain discrimination.
And I, for one, am so sick of this shiz.
It all started when Jennifer and Bethany Petrich wanted a cake for a vow renewal ceremony and Jennifer’s mother, who was planning the event, scheduled an appointment with Cake Pros to taste some cakes. During the conversation it came up that it was a cake for :::gasp::: two women, and a couple of days later, before the appointment, Lorraine Fleming called to say that Cake Pros — 'pro' is short for professional which does not apply to this particular business — would not bake a cake because they don’t ‘do’ same-sex weddings … or vow renewal ceremonies.
Lorraine Fleming used the ‘Christian’ excuse for denying service, and then added the she had … wait for it … it’s rich … “talked to Jesus for two weeks” and that because the cake was for a couple of Lesbians Jesus told her not to bake the cake.
Yup, she's saying that Jesus said, Oh hell no.
Here’s the deal, Cake Pros … and Jesus , if you’re listening and actually said what she says you said … you are not being asked to participate in the wedding; you are not being asked to condone it; you are not being asked to sanctify it, dance at it, celebrate it or even like it. You are being asked to do what you do: bake an effing cake.
And it doesn’t matter what the people who order the cake and pay for the cake do with it once it leaves your shop. These women could take it out in a rowboat and set fire to it and it’s not your business.
It’s.Not.Your.Business. Your business is to bake cakes.
Jennifer and Bethany took to Facebook to let everyone know about their story … as folks should when a public business refuses services to them … and the bakery has received a lot of attention. Lorraine Fleming says some of her employees have been harassed and that, too, is wrong.
Go on and spread the word that Cake Pros won’t sell cakes for same-sex weddings, and talk about Lorraine Fleming all you want, but her employees do not set policy, or make decisions; hell, her employees might have loved baking that cake because, you know, they’re there to work and get paid … for baking.
Lorraine Fleming has said she sorry “as far as hurt feelings" and then, naturally, played the I have gay folks in my family card, but this is about religion and the Baby Jeebus and if the Bay Jeebus said Don’t Serve The Gays, well, she’d probably tell her gay family to go away, too.
Cuz that’s Christian love, y’all.
And for those of you who say, “Why not just go to a different bakery” well, I agree. But I also think the word should be spread that a public business is discriminating against people based on sexual orientation.
I mean, would we be acting as if Jennifer and Bethany are over-reacting if they happened to be a Black heterosexual couple refused service? No, because that’s a crime, but discriminating against The Gays is still legal in much of the country, and unless, and until, we point out every single business owner who hides behind religion to refuse service, our fight will never truly be won.
Rant over. Soap box stored away for another day.
Except … oh yeah … if you live anywhere near Cake Pros, try a different bakery.
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Just thinking about the time and energy it would take to make sure every business there is to patronize and then find out you are not welcome.
ReplyDelete(Update - our florist issue still pending................)
(sigh) this is the "alabama" part of PA.
ReplyDeletethis town also murders hispanics because, well, they are "different".
my home state blows goats. :(
But discrimination is OK if your religion says to...according to the Supremes.
ReplyDeleteLorraine Fleming, this is Jesus. You may have misunderstood me. What I said was please take your icing funnel and shovel it up your ass.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of Facebook, but maybe this is the time for someone in each large city to fire up a page dealing with business that are LGBT friendly, and those ran by bigoted bucketheads. No lawsuits, no picketing, just good ol' fashioned social media being the crap out of them!
ReplyDeleteOh, bugger off, Lorraine - and take your effin' 'Jesus' with you so you can whisper sweet nothings to each other with no interruption until you have at least one orgasm (if you know what that is)!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I read one of these posts, I wish these people were required to put a sign in their windows the opposite of the We Don't Discriminate" sign to publicly proclaim how they feel.
ReplyDeleteThese people who talk to Jesus all the time worry me. I don't think they should be allowed to vote, run a business or more importantly own a gun or drive a car......because they are delusional. Not even the Pope claims that the son of God speaks to him regularly about such intimate matters.
ReplyDeleteAnd just think Jesus, with all the Kingdom of Heaven to reign, took two weeks out solid to discuss the Lorraine the weighty issue of her customer profiles. And finally the King of Love said don't serve two gay people who are in love? I always find it amazing that Jesus and God always tell people to do such nasty horrid things.
I’m with Biki Honko. Sadly, unless there’s a nondiscrimination ordinance in place these businesses are breaking no laws so it’s up to informed consumers to use the very powerful economic laws of supply and demand to adjust the marketplace. Ultimately businesses like Cake Pros, and others run by Those Christians, will fail because the vast majority of consumers (including Christians) don’t share their narrow views.
ReplyDelete