Masterpiece Cakeshop Owner Embroiled in Another Colorado Lawsuit | Eater
"This Lakewood, Colorado bakery has been embroiled in repeated legal battles over its owner Jack Phillips’s refusals to create cakes that, he says, conflict with his religious and artistic convictions. Phillips won a narrow 7–2 Supreme Court decision in 2018, but he now alleges state officials have resumed targeting him after a transgender customer, Autumn Scardina, says she was denied a cake celebrating the anniversary of her transition; Colorado’s Civil Rights Division recently found probable cause of discrimination. Phillips contends some orders — including requests for cakes celebrating gender transitions or featuring provocative themes — were sent to provoke him and that declining to produce messages contrary to his belief that sex is divinely assigned is protected; state authorities respond that anti-discrimination law guarantees equal access to goods and services. The dispute underscores the ongoing tension between claimed religious freedom and civil-rights protections and is prompting fresh litigation over whether the state is acting in bad faith." - Brenna Houck
