The owners of Oregon's Sweet Cakes by Melissa may have paid $135,000 in state-ordered damages for discriminating against a lesbian couple, but that doesn't mean they're going away anytime soon.
In 2013, Aaron and Melissa Klein cited their religious beliefs when they refused to prepare a wedding cake for Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer. In this video for The Daily Signal, a conservative news site, the Kleins chuckle as they read a series of tweets written about their bakery. Not surprisingly, many of the tweets slam the couple for being homophobic.
"At first...it really hurt really bad, hearing the names the people would call [us]," Melissa Klein explains in the video. "Now when I read it, I actually hurt for them, and...I pray for them."
Aaron Klein adds, "You start to realize they're coming from a place of ignorance. It's not a place of knowledge of who you are; it's not a place of knowledge of what the situation actually is."
Last year, an administrative law judge for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ruled that the Kleins had violated their state's anti-discrimination laws by turning away the Bowman-Cryers. The Kleins, who had initially refused to pay the state-ordered damages, are now in the process of appealing the ruling.
Since news of their case first broke two years ago, the couple have been defended by a number of conservative personalities, including right-wing televangelist Pat Robertson and "Full House" actress Candace Cameron Bure.
It's frightening to know that some people still find a laugh in their own bigoted behavior. We're not amused.
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