We’re popping bottles at EW HQ for Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer. Two years ago, the two brides experienced serious discrimination from an Oregon bakery.
Sweet Cakes by Melissa refused to make a wedding cake for the lesbians, saying it violated religious beliefs. According to a 2007 Oregon law, however, private businesses are not allowed to discriminate against potential customers.
After refusing to compensate the Bowman-Cryers for nearly six months, Sweet Cakes finally payed over $135,000 in state-ordered damages. Cheers!
RELATED: Denver Cake Shop Refuses Service to Gay Couple
H/T: Out
Kirsten Ott Palladino
Kirsten Ott Palladino is an award-winning editor, writer, speaker and educator, as well as the author of the first gender-neutral wedding planning book for LGBTQ+ couples, EQUALLY WED: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR LGBTQ+ WEDDING (Seal Press). She’s the co-founder and editorial director of Equally Wed, the world’s leading digital LGBTQ+ wedding magazine, as well as Equally Wed Pro, the LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course and educational platform. Palladino has been profiled on CNN, NPR and Forbes and in The New York Times. Her work has appeared in Washington Post, Entrepreneur magazine, ARTNews magazine, Art & Antiques magazine, The Knot, Executive Traveler magazine, the Huffington Post, and more. She was recognized as one of Glamour magazine's Hometown Heroes for 2015.
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