Two years after an Oregon bakery refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries says the business discriminated against the two women and as such, will have to pay up to $105,000 in fines.
The bakery shut its doors in September 2013, and is now on the hook for up to $75,000 per person filing the complaint, reports KGW.com. The exact amount will be determined at a hearing on March 10, said a BOLI spokesman.
The couple filed an anti-discrimination complaint with BOLI in September, saying that the shop had refused to sell the two women a cake for their nuptials. They claimed the co-owner said the union was an “abomination unto the lord.”
The complaint said the bakery violated the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, which protects the rights of Oregonians who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
“Oregonians may not be denied service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The law provides an exemption for religious organizations and schools, but does not allow private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation,” the BOLI spokesman said.
Ore. bakery will have to pay same-sex couple up to $150K [KGW.com]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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