RIGHTS: Tale of burned bakery

Tony Stewart, your “My Turn” column has a glaring contradiction. It addresses an issue that I spoke to the Coeur d’Alene City Council about when they chose to pass the LGBT ordinance.

I read Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the City Council. It reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

This amendment clearly gives all Americans, including the LGBT community, all the rights all other Americans hold. The City Council, except for Steve Adams, thought to “fix” this by giving the LGBT community greater rights than others. The contradiction you miss is this; the ordinance refutes some person’s basic rights as stated in the 14th Amendment.

Here’s proof that such is the case: In Gresham, Ore., in January, Laurel Bowman said “Sweet Cakes by Melissa” refused to sell her a cake after learning it was for a same-sex wedding. Aaron Klein, an owner of “Sweet Cakes by Melissa,” refused to sell the cake to one of the brides-to-be because he said marriage should be only between a man and a woman. That bakery is now out of business.

There are a number of bakeries in Gresham. Ms. Bowman had the “right” to go to another bakery and buy a cake. But Laurel Bowman chose to make a case of this refusal rather than take her business to another bakery. She inflicted her “right” to insist that the bakery either accept her beliefs or go out of business.

Who had their rights violated, Tony? Do you believe that person’s losing their business is right? I welcome your answer.

I predict one of these cases will happen in Coeur d’Alene. This is why I support the positions of Mary Souza and Joe Kunka. We need thoughtful reasoning and discussions from our leaders.

VERN WESTGATE

Coeur d’Alene