Ohio baker refuses to make a birthday cake for a lesbian customer
Baker cancelled Candice Lowe's order after finding out she was married to another woman
“She found out that I was in a same-sex marriage and she could not do my cake.”
—Candice Lowe in an interview with Toledo-area ABC affiliate WTVG/13abc. Lowe visited Take the Cake Bakery in Toledo, Ohio, with a simple request: to order a birthday cake for her wife Amanda. A few days later, however, Lowe was shocked to receive a text from the bakery informing her that the order had been canceled because she was in a same-sex relationship. The owner discovered Lowe’s Facebook page and became aware of her sexual orientation, thereafter refusing to fulfill her order.
“Candice, I’m sorry … I just realized your [sic] in a same sex relationship and we do not do cakes for same sex weddings or parties … I’m so sorry. I wasn’t aware of this exactly until I saw your page. Take care :),” the text from the bakery read. Lowe later shared the contents of the text in a post on her Facebook page.
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Candice was taken aback by the response she received from the bakery. “It wasn’t a wedding cake, it was just a birthday cake,” she said. “A birthday cake has nothing to do with your sexual preference.” While both Amanda and Candice were upset over being denied service, the couple has received an outpouring of support over Facebook and the event has resonated with members of the local LGBT community.
Nick Komives, the executive director of Equality Toledo said “a story like this makes me pretty angry inside because I know it could happen to me at any time, as well.” Komives hopes that this story reminds people that discrimination still exists in many different forms. “We don’t necessarily hear about it happening in our own backyard and it does make me a little bit upset,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard to show that Toledo is welcoming to LGBT people.”
The Lowes hope that this experience opens the eyes and hearts of the Toledo community. “They should learn that they can’t just discriminate against someone’s sexual preferences, especially over something as simple as a cake,” Lowe said.
The owner of Take the Cake previously expressed interest in sharing her side of the story with 13abc, but has not returned calls or texts seeking comment.
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