Baker refuses to do a wedding cake for a lesbian couple

[ThisOlGirl]

I understand that as a business owner, this woman has the right to refuse service to anyone, but I'm calling bullshit on her excuse. Does she refuse to do wedding cakes for non-Christians? Does she ask if the bride is a virgin before she'll do the wedding cake? Again, she has every right to refuse service and stand by her convictions, but her potential customers also have the right to not give her any business. I kind of hope that's what happens, at least short term, just to get her attention.

 

 

 

Quote

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A same sex central Iowa couple is embroiled in a fight with a local baker with strong beliefs over a wedding cake.

Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers, who are engaged to be married, said planning for their June wedding took an unexpected turn during a taste-testing appointment Thursday afternoon.

"It shouldn't be a gay or straight issue. It's a people issue," Sievers said.

"They came in and she introduced herself, and I said, 'Is this your sister?' (She said,) 'No, this is my partner.' I said, 'OK,' and I asked them to sit down and I said, 'We need to talk,'" said Victoria Childress, who runs her cake baking business from home. "I said, 'I'll tell you I'm a Christian, and I do have convictions.' And I said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm not going to be able to do your cake."

"I said that was fine and I appreciated her being honest," Vodraska said.

"I don't think either one of us knew what to say. We were just shocked," Sievers said.

Childress said it's her right to refuse to do the cake.

"I didn't do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle. It is my right as a business owner. It is my right, and it's not to discriminate against them. It's not so much to do with them, it's to do with me and my walk with God and what I will answer (to) him for," Childress said.

"It was degrading. It was like she chastised us for wanting to do business with her," Vodraska said. "I know Jesus loves me. I didn't need her to tell me that. I didn't go there for that. I just wanted to go there for a cake."

"They thanked me for being honest with them, and they were very pleasant. I did not belittle them, speak rudely to them. There were no condescending remarks made, nothing," Childress said.

A director of local advocacy group OneIowa said it's unfortunate anyone would be willing to turn away business because of their beliefs.

 

 

ETA link: http://www.kcci.com/news/29753206/detail.html

[emmiedahl]

She has the right to be a bitch, and boy is she using it.

[galaxygirl]

She's the owner, she can do whatever she wants. On the other hand, I've heard of a bakery manager and cake decorator getting fired in one of the stores of the company I work for, for doing the same thing. My manager doesn't agree with gay marriage, but he does like making money so we'll do it. I've done my fair share of wedding cakes and don't give a flying fuck who it's for. It's my job and I get paid for it. People will have me put 'happy birthday Jesus' on their cakes at Christmas time, and since I'm a perfectly happy little atheist, should I refuse to do so as well? As I said, I don't care. Our policy is clear on this, as long as it's not offensive(like the people who wanted the Confederate flag on their cake), we'll do it.

Back to this lady, it's my right not to do business with you as well and I have no desire to do so. It's why I don't eat at Chick-fil-A and shop at Forever 21.

[browngrl]

She's the owner, she can do whatever she wants. On the other hand, I've heard of a bakery manager and cake decorator getting fired in one of the stores of the company I work for, for doing the same thing. My manager doesn't agree with gay marriage, but he does like making money so we'll do it. I've done my fair share of wedding cakes and don't give a flying fuck who it's for. It's my job and I get paid for it. People will have me put 'happy birthday Jesus' on their cakes at Christmas time, and since I'm a perfectly happy little atheist, should I refuse to do so as well? As I said, I don't care. Our policy is clear on this, as long as it's not offensive(like the people who wanted the Confederate flag on their cake), we'll do it.

Back to this lady, it's my right not to do business with you as well and I have no desire to do so. It's why I don't eat at Chick-fil-A and shop at Forever 21.

That is what I do too. If people act in a way that I feel is racist, sexist or otherwise offensive, I decline to buy any of their goods or use their services.

[tabitha2]

What's wrong with forever 21?

[lilwriter85]

I heard of a similar story years ago in which a photographer refused to work at a commitment ceremony for a gay couple. A friend of mine and his partner are moving to New York within the next two years. They plan to marry there and some friends are already planning to go up when the wedding happens to help with the cake, photos and other things because my friend and his partner are leery of wedding businesses and they want to avoid possible confrontations with business owners.

[Buzzard]

What's wrong with forever 21?

therottenlittlegirls.com/2008/09/08/buyer-beware-forever-21s-hidden-evangelical-message/

They have John 3:16 printed on their bags.

I can understand (but not support) the baker's decision not to make the cake. For all we know she wouldnt make a cake for a bar mitzvah or a democratic convention. Its her right as a business owner. But atleast the word is out so consumers can make an educated decision when choosing a baker - although something tells me fundies will rush to support her. Maybe Dougie will give her an award, oh wait... she's a woman working... BAD!!

[fundiefan]

Meh. If I were a business owner, I'd exercise my judgment and I'm pretty sure there are many people I wouldn't provide services to. The couple can go somewhere else. She turned down the business, someone else got it - and the money.

I'm appalled that people behave that way, but not surprised.

Also, I don't do Chik fil a or whatever they're called, either. (Not hard since there haven't been any in my general area for years). Or Forever 21, or Dominoes or many others. I won't give my money to organizations that support what I don't believe in. Unknowingly, I probably have, but I won't do it knowingly.

[gustava]

I grew in VERY, VERY segregated south. Once store owners realized that green was more important than black.......

[doggie]

her walk with god fell down the stairs.

[Buzzard]

her walk with god fell down the stairs.

Right! Isnt there something about not judging others???

[doggie]

Right! Isnt there something about not judging others???

No not in her bible. only in other peoples bible. well she thinks so anyway.

[dormouse]

Sure she has the right to refuse to serve customers. However, in my 10 years working customer service at TicketGangster, and before that seeing my mom work freelance as a seamstress, I've learned that any business is good business.

I had to sell tickets for circuses with animals, or conferences of right-wing politicians.

My mom had to make skanky outfits for teen or even tween girls.

Did we refuse to serve those customers? No. True, our disagreement with these things was due to personal values, not fear of an eternity in hell.

[Deleted03]

well can she say no "I'm sorry my religion forbids me to serve blacks" "I only make cakes for legal residents"

Seriously I can't believe it's her right to say no sorry you're gay. If she had not mentionned it then yes ok, she can refuse service to anyone, but it can come bite her in the ass if it's discovered she only says no to gay couples (or blacks, or Mexicans, etc etc)

[dormouse]

As someone pointed in the comments, we say that she "has the right to refuse business to anyone she wants", and people complain this shouldn't even be news, but what if it wasn't a wedding cake or dress? What if electricity or cable companies started doing that? Cable guy arrives, oops sorry sir, judging by the pictures of you and your boyfriend, you're gay so I can't install cable for you, I can't serve you because I'm a Christian! Would that still be "not news"?

[GeoBQn]

This is a comment from someone claiming to be a friend of the couple:

What this story fails to mention is that Childress knew beforehand she was dealing with a same sex couple and knowingly invited them into her house under the guise of a cake tasting. There was no cake in sight - only she and her sisters sitting around a kitchen table that doubled as a platform for religious rhetoric. Childress told the couple she wanted to speak to them face to face instead of over the phone. Really? Is what you have to say that important, apparently in her eyes it was. Of course Childress has the right to work with whomever she chooses, but inviting someone into your home only to throw them under the bus is underhanded. The whole situation could have been easily avoided if Childress had been upfront with them during one of the previous conversations they had.

[kb2]

Wait, what's up with Domino's?

[darkplumaged]

As someone pointed in the comments, we say that she "has the right to refuse business to anyone she wants", and people complain this shouldn't even be news, but what if it wasn't a wedding cake or dress? What if electricity or cable companies started doing that? Cable guy arrives, oops sorry sir, judging by the pictures of you and your boyfriend, you're gay so I can't install cable for you, I can't serve you because I'm a Christian! Would that still be "not news"?

The difference is that she's the business owner and so can set her own policies (no matter how foolish or bigoted). The cable guy is probably not the owner of the cable company.

Re: Domino's, the owner is a longtime donor to anti-abortion organizations, including Operation Rescue.

[Austin]

This is a comment from someone claiming to be a friend of the couple:

WTH?

That's really terrible. Really.

[lilwriter85]

The difference is that she's the business owner and so can set her own policies (no matter how foolish or bigoted). The cable guy is probably not the owner of the cable company.

Re: Domino's, the owner is a longtime donor to anti-abortion organizations, including Operation Rescue.

Yup Tom Monaghan is very against abortion. He helps fund a Catholic law school which one of my friends attended. My friend wasn't a devout Catholic and he attended the law school when during the time, the school was located in Michigan. My friend attended Ave Maria mostly because it was very close to his parents' home and he wanted to stay around because his father was going through health problems. The school was always hosting pro-life events. My friend is pro-choice and he also hated some of the ultra conservative professors and some of his classmates.

[galaxygirl]

This is a comment from someone claiming to be a friend of the couple:

What in the everloving fuck...

[ElphabaGalinda]

What in the everloving fuck...

Ok she has the right to refuse business to people...but to pretend like she'll take the business...to basically lie to them...that's just horrible. And not very Christ-like, since she's claiming to be Christian. If that happened, then what she did was wrong. Within her rights, but wrong.

[Guest Anonymous]

Isn't it possible that she originally intended to make a cake and originally intended for them to come for cake testing and then perhaps the more she thought about it the more she felt uncomfortable about it or felt like she couldn't make the cake for them after all? Perhaps she thought telling them in person was a better way to handle it than just doing it over the phone.

[Patsy]

Yes, I imagine that's the most likely scenario of all of them.

Sure, it's possible. It's also possible she mixed them up with other clients, who were actually her son-in-law and friends, and she was planning to have them in for tea while they discussed their cake. POSSIBLE, but why bring it up as a possibility? I really don't think that's what happened.

[Guest Anonymous]

Yes, I imagine that's the most likely scenario of all of them.

Sure, it's possible. It's also possible she mixed them up with other clients, who were actually her son-in-law and friends, and she was planning to have them in for tea while they discussed their cake. POSSIBLE, but why bring it up as a possibility? I really don't think that's what happened.

I bring it up as a possibility because I wouldn't want people to judge my decisions without knowing the whole story or all the facts. I try to find the good in people and try to give people the benefit of the doubt, especially if there are facts that are missing or I don't know the whole story. In my younger days I would often jump to conclusions about situations or people and then end up looking the fool when the whole story came out. I guess getting older has shown me that what Dr. Phil says is right, than no matter how flat a pancake is, it still has two sides. Often the media tells one side and conveniently leaves out facts. I try to be not so quick to judge people based on a news story.