By Conner Williams Opinion Editor
There are two sides to every story and, as a journalist, it is my responsibility to shed light on both of them. Each issue has multiple points of view that must be examined and taken into consideration before a final judgment is decided upon.
So when the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries decided that the owners of Sweet Cakes bakery in Gresham must pay upwards of $135,000 in emotional damages to the Boman-Cryers, a lesbian couple, for refusing to bake them a wedding cake because of their sexual orientation, I found myself a bit befuddled.
In no way at all do I endorse discrimination. Bigotry against people with different lifestyles or principles is abhorrent in every way. In my opinion, there is no excuse to belittle someone because they have a different belief system or lifestyle. Using religion or any other basis as an excuse to spew forth hate is unacceptable.
Aaron Klein, the co-owner of Sweet Cakes, was alone when he refused service to the Bowman-Cryers.
He claimed that he discriminated because of religious reasons, but since the state of Oregon has a zero tolerance law for discrimination based on “sexual orientation, race, sex, disability, age or religion,” he had committed a crime. And even though his wife, Melissa, was not present at the time, she is also held liable for the incident.
The Boman-Cryers sued the Kleins, and are expected to receive at least $135,000 as a result.
I am all for disciplining the Kleins for their behavior. They should not be allowed to get away with their actions.
But do they really deserve to be sentenced to bankruptcy for it?
What is the formula for determining the proper fiscal amount to offset the “emotional damages” experienced by the discrimination? This whole process seems very arbitrary to me. I am curious how it is determined the way that subjective incidents like these are to be resolved.
Because isn’t this just fighting hate with more hate? After the incident went public, the Klein’s business vehicle was vandalized multiple times. I don’t see how displaying and condoning additional acts of contempt is supposed to fix the original wrongdoing. Aaron Klein made a boneheaded and intolerable mistake, but that doesn’t mean that his bigotry should be responded to with more bigotry. That makes the other side just as bad.
In response to their financial predicament, the Kleins started a GoFundMe campaign to enable people to donate money to them to help pay off the anticipated amount. GoFundMe has recently shut down the Klein’s donation fund and revised its policies, stating that it will not allow benefits go towards people that are facing formal criminal charges.
Soon after, Wisconsin faith-based nonprofit group Continue to Give has started its own fundraiser for the Kleins, which has raised about $1,000 so far, according to The Oregonian.
The controversy is widely split, with many in support of both sides. Many people say that since the Kleins own a private business, they have every right to refuse service to whomever they please, for whatever reason.
Oregon state law disagrees.
We must not tolerate this type of behavior for it only further polarizes the gay community and hinders the progress we have made thus far. According to ProCon.org, 37 states have legalized gay marriage. We have made huge leaps for the rights of gay people, and we cannot stop now.
While we should not tolerate detestable discriminatory behavior, we should also not stoop to that level by attempting to fiscally obliterate those with much more narrow-minded viewpoints. Trying to put out a fire with gasoline will not solve the problem. We should be focusing on changing the culture and learning to accept others with lifestyles and opinions different than ours, not punish to the point of bankruptcy and financial turmoil because of a stupid decision.
The Kleins are a family with a mortgage and kids to feed. While they may be narrow-minded bigots, I do not feel that they deserve to be punished this severely. Total financial chaos is not the answer to solving the problem of discrimination.
If you have any input you would like to share, please feel free to submit letters to the editor to journaleditor@wou.edu.
