COMMENTARY BY Baker Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, manages his shop in Lakewood, Colo. August 15, 2018. Hyoung Chang / The Denver Post / Getty Images Key Takeaways The Colorado Court of Appeals decided that Jack Phillips violated state law by declining to create a custom cake to celebrate a man’s “gender transition.” This gambit was so that Phillips’ religious exercise objection would be based on how the cake was used rather than its objective appearance. Phillips made his decision about making this custom cake not based on anything related to Scardina, but on something very important to him: his exercise of religion. Jack Phillips is back in the news, or perhaps he never left. On Jan. 26, the Colorado Court of Appeals decided that he violated state law by declining to create a custom cake to celebrate a man’s “gender transition.” The decision shows that courts still don’t get what religious freedom really means. Phillips and his wife, Debra, are Christian co-owners of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado. In business since 1993, Masterpiece sells pre-made goodies in the store, and custom cakes that Jack designs and creates. Phillips has said that he strives to be obedient to […]
