The interesting thing about 2015 is how different the Constitution is from what we all thought. Who knew America’s laws were so rife with hidden meaning? First, the Supreme Court informed us that the 14th Amendment provided for gay marriage. That came as a shock to anyone who has read that amendment – or a dictionary – but hey, these are the most respected lawyers in the country. Surely they know something we don’t.
The Colorado Court of Appeals may not occupy the same rarified air as the Supreme Court, but their judges are no less enlightened about the true meaning of America’s laws. That’s why they were able to determine this week that a custom baker was violating those laws when he refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple.
The incident in question happened in 2012, when Charlie Craig and David Mullins approached Jack Phillips at the Masterpiece Cakeshop to order a wedding cake. The couple had already been married in Massachusetts, but they wanted a Colorado wedding cake to keep the celebration going. Phillips refused to make the cake, citing his religious convictions against same-sex marriage. The gay couple found the cake they wanted at another shop, but they weren’t satisfied with merely taking their business elsewhere. They filed a complaint with state authorities, leading to a protracted court battle for Phillips.
That battle has culminated in the appeals court ruling this week which says Phillips engaged in discrimination when he turned the couple away:
We conclude that the commission’s order requiring Masterpiece not to discriminate against potential customers because of their sexual orientation does not force it to engage in compelled expressive conduct in violation of the First Amendment.
According to the ruling, Phillips will face severe financial penalties if he does not provide gay wedding cakes in the future.
“Today is a proud day for equality and for upholding the law,” the ACLU said of the ruling. “In America, no one should be turned away from a shop or restaurant because of who they are or who they love.”
Agreed. Except…that isn’t what happened here. Phillips, like so many other conservative business owners who have been caught up in the LGBT agenda, is not turning gays and lesbians away at the door. He is merely refusing to use his talents to promote a message with which he vehemently disagrees. That’s not discrimination against a person, that’s discrimination against a product. Against a message. Against an event.
But there you go. That’s apparently illegal now. Who knew? Thank God we have these wise judges around to tell us what the law really says.
