Mastodon
RNS logo
News

Christian baker appeals ruling on gender transition cake

DENVER (AP) — A Christian baker who violated Colorado's anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman has filed an appeal.
Christian baker appeals ruling on gender transition cake
Photo via Shutterstock.
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — A Christian baker found to have violated Colorado’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman has appealed the ruling to the state appeal appeals court.

In a notice filed Monday, lawyers for Jack Phillips asked the appeals court to review the June ruling by a Denver judge by looking at both procedural issues and whether the ruling violated Phillips’ constitutional rights to freedom of speech and religion.

Judge A. Bruce Jones ruled that attorney Autumn Scardina was denied a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate her gender transition on her birthday because of her transgender status in violation of the law. While Phillips said he could not make the cake because of its message, Jones said the case was about a refusal to sell a product, not compelled speech.


Phillips won a partial victory at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple when the court found the state civil rights commission showed anti-religious bias when it sanctioned Phillips.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)

But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
Deborah Caldwell, CEO and Publisher
Donate today