Christian Cake Baker Jack Phillips Under Attack Again by LGBT Activist
Jack Phillips, the Masterpiece Cake Shop owner, is being attacked by LGBT activists in the courts for the 3rd time because of his Christian faith. Jack’s business was first sued when two gay men wanted Jack to bake a cake to affirm a “same sex wedding” in violation of Jack’s sincerely held religious belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Jack Phillips in the Masterpiece case, and rebuked the state of Colorado for its “hostility” to his faith.
After Jack won at the Supreme Court, a different activist visited Jack Phillips cake shop to ask for a cake celebrating a “gender transition.” LGBT activist Autumn Scardina brought suit against Jack Phillips claiming that Jack’s refusal to make a cake celebrating a “gender transition” was discriminatory.
Colorado later abandoned that claim in the wake of more evidence of the state’s hostility toward Jack’s religious freedom. Now, Scardina has come back again with a vengenece to file a civil lawsuit on his own behalf against Jack Phillips for deceptive trade practices. This time, Scardina is asking for monetary damages of over $100,000. Attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, who are representing Phillips, filed a motion to dismiss the case earlier this week.
Attorney Kristen Waggoner from Alliance Defending Freedom stated this week,
“It’s time to move on and leave Jack alone. This new lawsuit is nothing more than an activist’s attempt to harass and ruin Jack because he won’t create custom cakes that express messages or celebrate events in conflict with his conscience. Jack’s victory at the Supreme Court was great news for everyone. Tolerance for good-faith differences of opinion is essential. It’s the only way for diverse people with differing views to peacefully coexist. This attorney’s relentless pursuit of Jack is an obvious attempt to punish him for his views, banish him from the public square, and bankrupt him and his shop.”
Repeated attacks on small business owners for their sincerely held religious beliefs are happening across the nation. Some legislators in Texas were trying to push state law “Ban the Bible” bills that would punish people like Jack in Texas, both civilly and criminally. Thankfully, Texas Values helped defeat all attempts to pass “sexual orientation and gender identity” Ban the Bible legislation in the state legislature. The continued attacks on Jack Phillips and other Christians across the nation is a reminder of why Texas Values advocates for religious freedom in the state of Texas and beyond.