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 Administrative Law Judge Robert Spencer ordered Jack Phillips,
owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in suburban Denver, to accommodate
sex-couples or face fines and other possible penalties.
"At first blush, it may seem reasonable that a private business
should be able to refuse service to anyone it chooses," Spencer
wrote in his 13-page ruling.
"This view, however, fails to take into account the cost to society
and the hurt caused to persons who are denied service simply because
of who they are."
The case involves Charlie Craig and David Mullins, who said Phillips
refused to bake a wedding for their wedding celebration when they
went to his shop in 2012. The couple was wed in Massachusetts, one
of 16 U.S. states that have legalized same-sex marriage, but wanted
to have a celebration of their nuptials in Colorado.
Colorado allows civil unions for same-sex couples, but defines
marriage as between one man and one woman. Phillips refused to bake
the cake, saying his Christian beliefs prevented him from doing so.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the
Colorado Civil Rights Division, which ruled that Phillips had
violated a state law barring discrimination at public accommodations
based on race, gender or sexual orientation. On Friday, Spencer
upheld the commission's findings.
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Mullins said in a statement it was "offensive and dehumanizing" when
he and Craig were denied service at the bakery. "No one should fear
being turned away from a public business because of who they are,"
he said.
Phillips has not decided whether to appeal to a higher court, said
his attorney, Nicolle Martin.
"If the government can take away your First Amendment rights,
there's nothing they can't take away from you," she said.
(Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Mohamad Zargham)
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