Susie’s Sweets, a bakery in Dickson County, Tennessee (an area just west of Nashville), has reportedly refused to make a cake for a female same-sex couple’s wedding.
The bakery’s owner Susie Dennison, wrote to Brandi Ray after Ray appeared in her shop and requested a cake for her same-sex wedding. Dennison later wrote Ray on Facebook, stating:
“I really enjoyed our time together and I truly wish you the best but after realizing that your union will be of the same sex, I cannot with my spiritual conviction and beliefs, do your cake! I want you to know in saying that, I do love you in The Lord! Had I known before you left, I would have said something then!”
Ray responded, “I’m sorry you feel that way. Have a good night.”
On a public Facebook post mentioning Dennison’s refusal, Ray says she mentioned her fiancée’s female name, Michele Schmidt, several times when she and Dennison met in person.
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Related: Wedding videographer turns away lesbian couple because Jesus disapproves… or something
Ray hasn’t announced whether she plans on taking any sort of legal action against the bakery, but the case is very similar to two other high-profile cases of anti-gay discrimination by wedding vendors. Both vendors claimed they couldn’t offer goods for a same-sex wedding because it would violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.
The most famous, of course, is the Masterpiece Cakeshop case which won a narrow U.S. Supreme Court victory in June 2018 when the Justices found evidence of anti-religious bias during hearings on the matter held by Colorado’s civil rights commission.
The second, lesser-known case involves Arlene’s Flowers and Gifts who, in 2013, denied a floral arrangement for a male same-sex couple’s wedding. In June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court court asked the Washington State Supreme Court to determine whether the state of Washington expressed any anti-religious sentiment whatsoever when handling the florist’s case. No further ruling has been issued in that case.
Vince
If she wants to sell her hate cakes to other like-minded bigots fine. Plenty more businesses that would love to help this couple out.
I don’t think I would trust her anyways. It looks like piggy eats half of what she bakes.
jayceecook
If you’re going to shame someone because of what their body looks like you should at least make sure you’re shaming the right person. That’s a photo of the woman denied the wedding cake. Sharpen your reading comprehension skills not your tongue.
jjose712
Do you know you are insulting one of the lesbian couple? The girl in the pic is the one who requested the cake
startenout
Your fat shaming is disgusting and your inability to actual read that this is the lesbian who went in asking for the wedding cake is just sad. Well sad and stupid as are the people who agreed with you. I’d rather stay fat than be dumb. LOL
Vince
@@@@Jesus Christ. The continually faux outraged brigade is outraged as usual. Shocking 😉 Yes. I should’ve looked closer on my iphone to see it’s not the owner. Maybe since it’s the owners faces I see 99% of the time I assumed. Well, sue me. Moving on.
Bob LaBlah
Vince, be patient. Wait till they start correcting your grammar.
Kev57
You are just a shameless asshole. How do you keep living? Please go away and stay away.
jjose712
It’s not about outrage i’s about you being stupid because you are insulting the wrong person
Terrycloth
She will never make any money eating all the profits. She should stop reading that book of science fiction and come back to reality. If jesus is talking to you , you need to see a shrink
Kangol
That photo is of one of the women denied the cake! Are you that moronic you cannot read? Sheesh!
Bob LaBlah
That was evil. And funny. lol
@HarryB
I dont really understand where is the connection between “making cake” and Jesus
Mack
It’s like everything else they use to justify their bigotry. In the South they used the Bible to justify making African Americans second class. They used the Bible to justify them having “White Only” and “Colored Only” signs up until the mid-sixties. Just another example of “cherry picking” to justify bigotry and racism.
Bob LaBlah
@Mack
A lot of people are unaware of this but had the south won the Civil War there would have been two versions of the bible. I kid you not, there were plans for an American bible that sanctioned slavery. A few years ago some one posted on google Amazon’s series “Man in the High Castle”. It depicts what the country would have looked like had we lost our nerve and let Japan invade on the west coast (stopping at the Rocky Mountains) and Germany from the east. Yes, the country would have been divided but guess what BOTH of those nations reinstated? Thank god it was only a novel.
kittyburns
Yeah, well, I say just take your business elsewhere. The baker’s view and opinion. You can’t change that. It’s her ‘business’. But do post on social media how they refuse because of religion. People will stop giving her their money, or not. Not a battle worth fighting.
Brawny71
That sounds all nice and first amendment-ish, but now we have tax accountants refusing to do joint tax returns, politicians stating that real estate agents should be able to refuse to sell HOMES or rent apartments to couples, taxi drivers telling people to get out of their cars, and there will be more. And that’s why we MUST have national non-discrimination laws. I’m not going to make 5-10 phone calls for every service or product I buy until I get a “hit” from someone who APPROVES of me. Screw that. You can’t make your customers follow your ALLEGED religious beliefs.
Bob LaBlah
Has Cake Boss ever done a same sex wedding cake?
jayceecook
He’s made cakes for LGBTQ people and causes for a while. He is an ally although not a perfect one. There was that whole Carmen Carrera prank that went wrong. Though I throw side eye at CC but that’s all I’m going to say about that. You can Google it if you want.
jayceecook
jayceecook
Yes back in 2011 I think. It was for one of the first couples who decided to get married after the NY governor legalized same sex marriage. It might have aired on the show too.
Bob LaBlah
I had to really look at that pic to believe that was a same sex couple. Thanks for that info. I saw the gay themed cakes but didnt see the same sex couple the first time around.
starkraver
Going out of business in 5 … 4 … 3 …
Gary Q VV
These companies have the idea that refusing services to same-sex marriage couples makes them look good in the eyes of Jesus Christ. But wait a minute, to the best of my knowledge, JC taught ideals of love, acceptance, kindness… did I mention “acceptcance”. We LGBTQs have ingenious ways of overcoming such prejudices of bigotry, hate, evilness and the biggy: stupidity.
johnnymcmxxx
Unfortunately in the area of the country where she is located, she will probably benefit from her bigotry because it’s not exactly a Gay Mecca but I’m sure it’s filled with like minded haters (with love) who will go out of their way to support her business.
Bob LaBlah
Down here (Ok) where I like we would simply make our own darn cake and not kiss anyone’s rear if they didn’t want our money.
Heywood Jablowme
@Bob LeBlah: That’s right!
Nobody ever accused Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines of being homophobes!
Heywood Jablowme
If you actually read the Bible, it sayeth that Jesus ate unleavened wedding cake when he turneth water into wine.
TomG
Many of us are under the impression that Jesus was gay being that he hung out with guys (the apostles).
Bob LaBlah
Don’t forget that they also wore nothing underneath those robes. None of them.
Paulie P
I wonder! If Susie believes! That too much cake as reflected in her pic! Is a good thing! Susie loves an exclamation point! I am sure the Lord! Would welcome all people! Into his bakery! ! !
Brawny71
You people commenting on the weight of the gal in the picture, it’s the woman who requested the cake, NOT the bigoted baker. Think before you insult.
DCguy
The woman lying and pretending she cares about her religion and THAT’S the reason she won’t serve the couple is just a simple bigot using the Bible as an excuse for her hate.
The Bible also says that women should be silent and not try to influence the opinions of others. So that would mean that this woman, who SUPPOSEDLY follows the Bible couldn’t tell her male employees what to do, and shouldn’t be promoting her baked goods to people.
These people are just bigots who hate LGBTs