Cancel culture warriors still trying to cancel Masterpiece Cakeshop

It’s now been eight years since liberal activists began their campaign to attempt to drive Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips out of business for the sin of refusing to decorate cakes with messages that conflicted with his religious values. Thus far, his antagonists have managed to tie him up in court endlessly, but after the Supreme Court sided with him it sounded as if the brouhaha might be over. No such luck, sadly. One of the usual suspects immediately tried to order a cake from Jack to celebrate his “transition” from male to female. Phillips declined and was promptly sued again. This week, a court in Colorado refused to throw the suit out and ruled that the plaintiff could move forward. (Washington Examiner)

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The newest case against Jack Phillips, the infamous owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, cannot be dismissed, a Colorado district court decided Wednesday. Autumn Scardina, a transgender woman, filed a complaint against Phillips in 2017 with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, unsuccessfully. Scardina filed the suit after Phillips declined, due to his religious beliefs, to make a cake celebrating the transition Scardina made from male to female.

Scardina, an attorney, then filed a new lawsuit in state court that seeks monetary damages of more than $100,000 against Phillips. Although attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom had requested that the case be dismissed, the court has decided to let it continue.

The person attempting to drive Phillips from the market is one we’ve heard from before. Autumn Scardina is the same transgender lawyer who previously attempted to force Jack to create a case showing Satan smoking marijuana under an upside-down crucifix.

Phillips is once again being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom. They’re pointing out something that should have been obvious to everyone long before now. Scardina has no interest in purchasing a cake. There are any number of bakers who would jump at the opportunity to pick up some business. What Scardina is trying to do is bankrupt Phillips with nuisance lawsuits and drive him out of business.

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Sadly, Phillips is hardly the only business owner to be targeted in this fashion and the tactics are almost always identical. The left identifies a perceived “enemy” of progressive values and tries to drive them out of business. And sometimes there isn’t even an aggrieved party to claim damages.

Here’s one great example I always come back to. Do you remember a small business in Indiana named Memories Pizzaria? It’s the joint that was nearly hounded out of existence after they refused to cater a wedding for a lesbian couple, or at least that’s the legend that you still hear on the left. But the minor detail you rarely hear people discussing is that there never was a lesbian couple. There never was a wedding reception. The entire scenario was fictional.

What really happened was that a local reporter was supposed to do a story on businesses that don’t participate in gay weddings. But after calling around to every caterer in the area, nobody refused. They all wanted the business. So the reporter started calling every place that serves food of any kind and asking if they would be willing to cater a gay wedding until they finally dialed up Memories and the phone was answered by the family’s grandmother who was opposed to gay marriage. (And honestly… who asks a pizza parlor to cater their wedding anyway?) But the shop was instantly “famous” and the mob came to try to shut them down.

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That’s what’s happening with Jack Phillips now. And it’s a shame. This entire situation should have been resolved after the Supreme Court ruling, but some agitators will never be satisfied until Jack is driven out of business.

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