US lesbian couple “unsure whether to file complaint” over refused wedding cake
A lesbian couple from Iowa have said they are unsure whether or not to pursue a civil rights complaint over the refusal of a Christian baker to make their wedding cake.
Victoria Childress had told Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers she would not be able to provide the ceremonial dessert.
In an interview with Iowan TV station KCCI, Childress said: “They came in, and she introduced herself, I shook her hand and I said, ‘Is this your sister?'”
On hearing that it was a lesbian couple she was being asked to provide a cake for, Childress explained that she was a Christian and did not want to continue.
She continued: “I didn’t do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle.
“It is my right as a business-owner. And it’s not to discriminate against them.
“It’s not so much to do with them as it’s to do with me and my walk with God, what I will answer to him for.”
Childress added that the couple were “very pleasant”.
Vodraska, one half of the engaged couple, said: “I appreciated her being honest.”
But she added: “I know Jesus loves me, I didn’t need her to tell me that. I didn’t go there for that, I went there for a cake.”
Iowa legalised gay marriage in 2009.
The state prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the areas of employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education.
