Christian cake artist Jack Phillips has scored a major victory after facing years of continuous persecution for his religious beliefs from LGBT activists and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian nonprofit that advocates for religious freedom and traditional values, announced Tuesday that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission “will dismiss its most recent charges against cake artist Jack Phillips in the wake of newly discovered evidence of the state’s ongoing hostility toward religious freedom.”
After Phillips prevailed at the Supreme Court in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the Christian baker was targeted for refusing to create a transgender celebration cake due to his religious beliefs concerning sex and gender. ADF explains:
On June 26, 2017, the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, an attorney asked cake artist Jack Phillips to create a cake designed pink on the inside and blue on the outside, which the attorney said was to celebrate a gender transition from male to female. Phillips declined the request because the custom cake would have expressed messages about sex and gender identity that conflict with his religious beliefs. Less than a month after the Supreme Court ruled for Phillips in his first case, the state surprised him by finding probable cause to believe that Colorado law requires him to create the requested gender-transition cake.
In response to the clearly-targeted harassment of Mr. Phillips, ADF attorneys filed Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Elenis.
“We’re pleased that the state will be dismissing its case against Jack,” said ADF attorney Kristen Waggoner, who represented Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. “This is the second time the state has launched a failed effort to prosecute him. While it finally appears to be getting the message that its anti-religious hostility has no place in our country, the state’s decision to target Jack has cost him more than six-and-a-half years of his life, forcing him to spend that time tied up in legal proceedings.”
“Jack’s victory is great news for everyone. Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a diverse society like ours. They enable us to peacefully coexist with each another. But the state’s demonstrated and ongoing hostility toward Jack because of his beliefs is undeniable,” noted Waggoner.
When news hit that Phillips was targeted over his refusal to celebrate transgenderism, Daily Wire writer and podcast host Matt Walsh blasted the “vengeful bullies of the LGBT lobby” for continuously targeting Phillips.
“This is straightforward persecution,” argued Walsh. “This is a government agency seeking to destroy a private citizen for his personal beliefs. The bureaucrats behind this campaign have now officially forfeited the claim that they are really seeking equality or tolerance or whatever. They know, like we all do, that Phillips was railroaded here. There aren’t even any hurt feelings for them to worry about. Scardina’s feelings weren’t hurt. He got exactly what he wanted, which was to not get what he asked for. He’s a conniving, scheming fraud. And so are the despots in the commission. No matter your ideological leanings, you should be outraged about this.”