Col. Couple Says Baker Denied Them Wedding Cake Because They're Gay

A gay couple from Denver, Col., claims that a baker refused to make them a wedding cake because of their sexual orientation, Denver's Westworld blog reported.

Dave Mullins, 28, and his partner Charlie Craig, 31, asked Jack Philips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Col., to make their wedding reception cake. The couple wanted Philips to create a rainbow-layered cake with teal and red frosting but after meeting the men, the baker refused to take their order.

"It was the most awkward, surreal, very brief encounter," Mullins said. "We got up to leave, and to be totally honest, I said, 'Fuck you and your homophobic cake shop.' And I may or may not have flipped him off."

Mullins then took to Facebook and made a post about the incident. The incident was picked up by a few websites, including Wipe Out Homophobia. Other stories about the bakery have since popped up and more than 60 individuals have written negative reviews about Masterpiece on Yelp.

One Yelp user wrote: "I feel I need to disclose to anyone with an 'alternative' lifestyle, that this company does not want your business, as they do not participate in making cakes for 'illegal' things, such as a commitment ceremony (exact quote)."

Yelp user Samantha S. wrote, "All we wanted was a cake, and I totally respect the right to refuse service, (but) I feel obligated to help anyone else avoid what was an incredibly awkward situation by selecting this place for your services. That is simply it (right, wrong or indifferent). Nothing more, nothing less. They did say over the phone later, that if someone like me wanted a birthday cake, or something unlike a wedding cake, that they would take our order."

After the incident, the bakery's Yelp rating dropped from three stars to just one and a half stars. Additionally, a Facebook group and an online petition against the business have been created.

Mullins and Craig have been together for nearly two years and although Mullins says he has encountered homophobia in schools and on the street, this is the first time he has been discriminated for being gay by a business.

"But this is the first time I've ever been refused service at a business because I was gay," he said. "I want (Phillips) to know that what he did hurt us. All we wanted was a cake. We didn't want him to put on a rainbow shirt and march in the gay pride parade. This is me standing up for my community's rights."

Mullins, who plans on tying the knot with Craig in Provincetown, Mass., and holding a reception with friends and family in Denver, said they have "decided to go to the gayest cake shop we could think of. We went to Le Bakery Sensual and had a great experience. They made us feel great, and no one batted an eye. When we told them what had happened, more than a few eyebrows went up."