[caption id=”attachment_144746″ align=”aligncenter” width=”1024″] FILE – In this March 10, 2014 file photo, Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips decorates a cake inside his store, in Lakewood, Colo. Phillips, a suburban Denver baker who wouldn’t make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, cannot cite his religious beliefs in refusing them service because it would lead to discrimination, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
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The conflict between LGBT rights and religious freedom has become a little clearer.
In another blow to business owners who refuse to provide wedding services for gay ceremonies, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that a bakery violated public-accommodations law by refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple.
The request for a cake doesn’t place an undue burden on religious exercise, nor does it conflict with the baker’s freedom of speech, the court found.
Colorado forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation. If this had taken place in a state without such a law, or if it had a Religious Freedom Restoration Act law, the outcome might have been different.
Businesses that cater to weddings, such as florists, bakers, and photographers, have faced the brunt of lawsuits surrounding LGBT rights and religious conscience, but they’re probably just the first wave of businesses to deal with lawsuits. State and federal law isn’t yet solidified.
Whether religious beliefs are pertinent to the business will determine the success or failure of LGBT protections and freedom of conscience.
Selling insurance, fixing a car, or driving a taxi will have weaker claims than a rabbi or political action group. What is certain is that the lawsuits and media attention will remain at the forefront of the culture war.
