On Thursday, a judge ruled against two Christian bakers who refused service for a same-sex couple. Now, according to NBC News, the owners of the now-closed Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery will have to fork over a $135,000 fine for their discrimination. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The incident occurred back in 2013 when Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of the Oregon bakery, refused to make a wedding cake for Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer.
At the time, the Kleins said their religious beliefs wouldn’t allow them to provide a service for the same-sex couple. However, according to NBC News, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries said that their refusal violated a 2007 state law that protects the rights of the LGBTQ community. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Years later, the couple filed a suit against the bakers for their refusal of service, demanding money for their emotional distress. At the time, a judge ruled in favor of the couple, ordering the bakers to cough up the damages. However, the Kleins appealed in March of this year. But, on Thursday, nearly five years after the start of the case, the Oregon Court of Appeals denied the bakers’ claim and upheld the 6-figure fine against them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“It does not matter how you were born or who you love,” the couple said in a statement after the ruling. “All of us are equal under the law and should be treated equally. Oregon will not allow ‘a Straight Couples Only’ sign to be hung in bakeries or other stores.”
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
