A Portland, Ore., bakery that made headlines for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple announced on Facebook last week that it has closed down for good.
“We have closed Sweet Cakes. We appreciate everyone’s continued prayer and support,” reads the Facebook post.
Melissa and Aaron Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were embroiled in controversy after refusing service to Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer three years ago, citing their religious beliefs.
After a long and grueling legal battle, the Kleins were eventually ordered by the state of Oregon to pay $135,000 to the lesbian couple in July, 2015. The Commissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries awarded the damages for emotional suffering, saying the owners had violated the women's civil rights by discriminating on the basis of their sexual orientation. The Kleins paid the fine, but the money is being held by the state while they appeal the decision.
The shop launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fund its legal costs. It received nearly $500,000 before the page was shut down. The crowdsourcing site claimed the funds were raised for an illegal purpose.
"After careful review by our team, we have found the ‘Support Sweet Cakes by Melissa’ campaign to be in violation of our Terms and Conditions,” said GoFundMe in a press release. “The subjects of the ‘Support Sweet Cakes by Melissa’ campaign have been formally charged by local authorities and found to be in violation of Oregon state law concerning discriminatory acts. Accordingly, the campaign has been disabled."
The Kleins had already closed their bricks-and-mortar location in Gresham, Ore. in 2013, and were selling their products online.
“If we moved to a different state, we could have our business again,” the shop posted on Facebook. “Whatever God has planned we will be good with.”
A 2007 Oregon law protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. It provides an exemption for religious organizations, but the Oregon Bureau of Labor ruled that exemption does not allow private businesses to discriminate against potential customers.
With files from The Associated Press
