Lesbians denied by sweet cakes by melissa read hate mail
Sweet Cakes by Melissa was a cake shop in Gresham, Oregon, in the United States. It gained widespread press attention in January 2013 when it turned away customers who wanted cakes for a same-sex wedding, who then made a complaint to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, claiming their civil rights under the Oregon Equality Act had been infringed.
The owners of the business stated that they had refused to cater for the wedding because of their religious beliefs, and that their right to do so was protected by the U.S. constitution. They subsequently closed the shop, and carried out their business from home.
In April 2015, an administrative court made a preliminary decision to penalize the business. The owners of the business opened a GoFundMe appeal, “Support Sweet Cakes by Melissa”, which raised over $100,000 before it was shut down by GoFundMe, who stated that the campaign was not compatible with their terms of service. In a statement, GoFundMe confirmed that the funds raised before the appeal was shut down would still be available for withdrawal.
The administrative court's decision was confirmed in a final order by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries in July 2015. The owners of the business have stated that they will contest the Bureau's decision.
After contesting for 6 months, co-owner Aaron Klein paid the final order with interest while identifying that they will continue to fight the order.