A baker that got sued in 2012 for refusing to bake a cake for a gay couple has again been dragged to court for refusing to bake a cake celebrating transgenderism.
Jack Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado, had in 2018 won a case brought against him by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission at the US Supreme Court for turning down a job to bake for a same-sex wedding.
The apex court had ruled that the commission violated his right to religious conscience guaranteed under the First Amendment of the American Constitution.
He was back in court on Thursday after a transgender lawyer sued for failing to honour a request to bake a gender-transition birthday cake, Christian Post reported.
As in the previous case, Phillips is being defended by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
A Trans activist, Autumn Scardina called the baker to order a custom made gender-transition cake, an order Phillips’ company declined.
Scardina, a lawyer, then filed a suit against the baker at the District Court for the city and county of Denver, for discrimination, seeking more than $100,000 in damages, fines, and attorney’s fees.
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As the oral arguments were heard on Thursday, ADF filed a motion praying the court to dismiss the matter.
Christian Post reported: Phillips has long maintained that he does not single out lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or trans-identified individuals regarding his custom orders. However, he’s long maintained that he will not use his creative talents to support messages that conflict with his faith. Thus, he will not make cakes that celebrate Halloween, drug use, or cakes that disparage people, including those who identify as LGBT.
According to ADF, the present suit and the one before it were aimed at ruining Phillips’ business.
“It wasn’t enough for Jack to lose 40 percent of his business after Colorado pursued him the first time. It wasn’t enough for Jack to have to defend his freedoms all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And it wasn’t enough for Jack and his family to endure years of harassment and even death threats.
“For some, it won’t be enough until Masterpiece Cakeshop closes its doors and Jack Phillips is in financial ruin. They want Jack, an average American business owner, to pay a hefty price—all because he wants to live according to his faith. It is time to leave Jack alone,” ADF stated.