Masterpiece Cakeshop
Cake shop · Lakewood
3355 S Wadsworth Blvd H-117, Lakewood, CO 80227
Highlights
Bakery specializing in decorated custom cakes & confections
Bakery specializing in decorated custom cakes & confections
"A Lakewood, Colorado bakery that became central to national debates about whether bakers can refuse service to LGBTQ customers: in 2012 it declined to make a wedding cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins citing the owner's Christian beliefs, a state civil-rights commission found discrimination but the U.S. Supreme Court later reversed that ruling, and the shop subsequently refused to make a cake for a customer's gender transition—incidents the author invokes to show how a seemingly celebratory, community-focused business can exclude queer people." - Jaya Saxena
"A Colorado bakery that drew a flood of politically motivated negative reviews after its refusal to bake a cake for a gay wedding was upheld by the Supreme Court; many of the reviews were posted by people who had never visited. The surge prompted the platform to post an “Active Cleanup Alert” and begin removing fake reviews, but the episode highlighted how the site can be used for social protest and damaged its perception as a neutral, trustworthy review source." - Whitney Filloon
"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
"Run by baker Jack Phillips, this Colorado cake shop became the focus of a high-profile dispute after he refused to create a custom wedding cake for a same-sex couple, David Mullins and Charlie Craig. The Supreme Court issued a narrow 7–2 ruling in the baker’s favor on the ground that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission displayed unconstitutional hostility toward his religious-liberty claim, but it stopped short of resolving whether making wedding cakes is expressive conduct under the First Amendment or whether religious objections can override state public-accommodations laws. Justice Clarence Thomas (joined by Gorsuch) argued in concurrence that wedding cakes are inherently expressive and compelling their creation would alter the baker’s message, while a dissent by Justice Ginsburg (joined by Sotomayor) defended the Commission’s multi-layered, neutral review and emphasized that the baker refused a service to same-sex couples that he would provide to opposite-sex couples. Advocacy and legal groups remain divided—some warn the decision will be widely (and perhaps mistakenly) read as permitting discrimination, others (including the ACLU) view aspects of the opinion as reaffirming states’ ability to prevent marketplace discrimination—while amici such as Chefs for Equality contended that food preparation is not a core First Amendment activity. The ruling leaves the deeper constitutional conflicts unresolved and likely invites further litigation, including a pending florist case presenting similar legal questions." - Andrea Strong
"Following a 7–2 Supreme Court ruling in the bakery’s favor that ended a long legal battle over the owner’s refusal to make a same-sex wedding cake and reversed a prior decision weighing anti-discrimination protections against claimed First Amendment religious freedoms, the Lakewood bakery’s online presence was flooded with political backlash. Its Yelp page was hit with a barrage of one-star reviews—some alleging poor cake quality (dry cakes, unpleasant flavors, lifeless decorations) and many explicitly protesting the shop’s politics—prompting Yelp to post an “Active Cleanup Alert” warning that reviews motivated by news coverage may be removed. Supporters traveled to the shop to offer well-wishes to owner Jack Phillips, who says he does not “discriminate” but will decline to bake cakes that convey messages he opposes (including ones insulting the LGBTQ community). The culinary community also reacted: prominent chefs urged LGBTQ bakers to “unite” by welcoming customers regardless of creed or orientation, and celebrity bakers publicly voiced support for those responding to the verdict." - Whitney Filloon
