US: Colorado baker still won’t serve gay couples, despite losing court battle
A Colorado baker who lost a court battle after refusing to serve a gay couple says he would rather shut down his bakery than make gay wedding cakes.
The couple said Phillips refused to make a cake for them, after he found out they were celebrating their wedding.
On Friday, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission upheld a previous finding that it was discriminatory for the Christian baker to refuse to serve a gay couple because of their sexual orientation.
Commissioner Raju Jaram said: “I can believe anything I want, but if I’m going to do business here, I’d ought to not discriminate against people.”
Phillips said in a statement that he was not going to change his policies, and that the court would have to shut his bakery down.
He said: “I’m going to stand by my convictions until somebody shuts me down.”
The couple, who married in Massachusetts, said: “It’s not about the cake really, it’s about being denied services. Would we really want a cake baked from Masterpiece at this point? No.
“Do we want to shed light on the subject and help so other people don’t have to go through the same situation? The answer to that is yes.”
Judge Robert N Spencer last year ruled that Mr Phillips broke the law in refusing the service, and ordered him to accommodate all customers in future, or face fines and possible further penalties.
