The Oregon bakery was owned by Aaron and Melissa Klein, a devout Christian couple. They declined to create a wedding cake for a lesbian couple, saying that as Christians they could not prepare a cake celebrating gay marriage. The lesbian couple filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.
Administrative hearings were held, and the Kleins were forced to pay a $135,000 fine that resulted in the shop’s closing. The Kleins were also given a gag order, preventing them from discussing certain aspects of the case, including their religious opposition to gay marriage.
But the Kleins refused to stop fighting. With the help of the First Liberty Institute, the largest legal organization in the country dedicated exclusively to protecting religious freedom, they were able to move their case away from an administrative organization and into the court system. Their case was finally heard before a judicial body, the Oregon Court of Appeals, earlier this month.
Resources
- To learn more about the Synod’s religious liberty education and awareness campaign, visit lcms.org/social-issues/free-to-be-faithful.
