President Trump continues to be the polar opposite of his predecessor, especially regarding social issues that are important to conservative Christians. For instance, Obama believed that it was okay to refuse medical care to a baby that had survived an abortion and to let that baby die. While Trump was not successful in defunding Planned Parenthood, he has on many occasions stood up for the rights of unborn babies.
Gay rights are another area the two have proven to be completely opposite. Obama applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage nationwide, even going so far as to celebrate with the LGBTQ community by lighting up the White House with the colors of the rainbow. President Trump on the other hand issued a ban on transgenders serving in the military. Despite being criticized for his decisions, Trump doesn’t seem like he will be giving in to the LGBTQ community anytime soon.
Instead, a recent decision has proven that he will continue to stand firm against LGBTQ activism. In a move that has been described as “shocking” by the LGBTQ community and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), President Trump’s Department of Justice has filed an amiscus brief on behalf of a baker who was said to have violated the state of Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing to make a gay wedding cake.
The case Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission started back in 2012 when Jack Phillips, owner of the Masterpiece Cakeshop, refused to use his talents to create a unique wedding cake for a gay couple. The reason being that same-sex marriage did not line up with his religious beliefs.
Phillips did not refuse to help the couple altogether, however. He told them about other bakeries in the area that could comply with their request of making a unique cake that would serve the needs of their wedding. The same-sex couple did use the services of another local baker, but later, with the help of the ACLU, they filed a lawsuit against Phillips and his business.
Contrary to what many were led to believe about the issue at the Masterpiece Cakeshop, the case was not about refusing to sell something just because the customer was gay. Instead, it was about whether or not an artist has the right to refuse to create something that violates their conscience. Phillips did not want to violate his conscience in this way, so instead of doing so, he discontinued making custom wedding cakes, and in the process, had to let go of more than half of his staff.
In filing an amiscus brief on behalf of Phillips, Trump is standing up for religious freedom.
Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey B. Wall is one of the authors of the Supreme Court brief. “Forcing Phillips to create expression for and participate in a ceremony that violates his sincerely held religious beliefs invade his First Amendment rights. Weddings are sacred rites in the religious realm and profoundly symbolic ceremonies in the secular one,” says Wall.
The brief also points out that in 2012, the state of Colorado had not even been recognizing same-sex marriages or same-sex civil unions.
Besides President Trump and the DOJ standing with Jack Phillips, 86 members of Congress have also filed their own amiscus brief.
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, says, “This isn’t a case where someone refused to sell a pre-made good to someone else, based on their sexuality or their orientation. It is instead one in which the couple at issue requested the cake baker make a specialty cake, not a pre-ordered, pre-made, pre-designed sort of thing. But [the couple was] asking the baker to use the baker’s talents and specialty to craft a cake carrying a message with which the baker disagrees. So these cases are different than cases involving public accommodations.”
It’s not surprising that LGBTQ activists are livid with Trump and his administration for filing the brief and for showing support for Phillips. Sarah Warbelow, Legal Director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) says, “Once again, the Trump-Pence Administration has taken direct aim at our nation’s progress on LGBTQ equality, this time urging the Supreme Court to grant a potentially sweeping license to discriminate against same-sex couples.”
~ Christian Patriot Daily
