The owners of an Oregon bakery at the center of a complaint for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple are speaking out, and say gay rights activists used “militant” and “mean-spirited, mafia-style tactics” to shut down their business.
Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, Ore., told the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) they didn’t “want to be a part of (the couple’s) marriage,” and continued to defend their decision to turn away Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman, despite the negative impact it had on their business.
Cryer and Bowman claim Aaron Klein told them they are “abominations unto the Lord.”
While the Kleins said earlier this year their business had increased after news of the controversy first broke, they now tell CBN that their wedding cake business suffered a major loss.
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The Kleins closed their “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” storefront on Saturday, and said they would operate their business out of their home.
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If state investigators find substantial evidence of discrimination, the complaint could lead to a settlement or proceedings before an administrative law judge.
The Klein’s say their religious freedom has been violated, but did not provide any examples of the “mean-spirited, mafia-style tactics” that led to the decline of their business.
