Christian Bakers Blame Satan When Crowdfunding to Pay for Discrimination Fine Gets Shut Down
GoFundMe shut down a fundraiser created by anti-gay Christian bakers in Oregon after they raised approximately $110,000 to pay for a court ordered fine, the Gaily Grind reports.
Aaron and Melissa Klein, the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, were fined $135,000 on Friday by an Oregon court because they refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple who planned on tying the knot.
Following the verdict, the bakers set up a GoFundMe page and shared the link with their Facebook friends and followers. In just four hours, the campaign raised approximately $20,000. Within a day — as the total climbed to nearly $110,000 — GoFundMe canceled it, saying that the fundraiser violated Oregon law and was therefore in violation of the website’s Terms and Conditions.
“The money raised thus far will still be made available for withdrawal,” said GoFundMe in a statement.
“While a different campaign was recently permitted for a pizzeria in Indiana, no laws were violated and the campaign remained live. However, the subjects of the ‘Support Sweet Cakes By Melissa’ campaign have been formally charged by local authorities and found to be in violation of Oregon state law concerning discriminatory acts. Accordingly, the campaign has been disabled.”
The pizzeria in Indiana raised $840,000 on GoFundMe after the owners came under fire on social media for making a public statement that they would not cater gay weddings.
The Kleins, however, did not seem to hold a grudge against the fundraising website. Rather, they blame Satan.
“Evidently Go fund me [sic] has shut down our Go fund me [sic] page and will not let us raise any money. Satan’s really at work but I know our God has a plan and wins in the end!,” they said in a statement posted on their Facebook page.
