Aaron and Melissa Klein are pushing back against the punishment imposed on them for simply living out their Christian faith.
The Portland, Oregon, couple operated “Sweet Cakes by Melissa,” but when they declined to bake a cake for a homosexual “wedding” in 2013, a complaint was filed before the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. Last week, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian finalized a fine of $135,000 against the Kleins, ordering them to pay two lesbians for “emotional damage.”
Avakian, however, was not done. The Oregon official then imposed a gag order on the couple, mandating that they ‘cease and desist’ from speaking publicly about not wanting to bake cakes for same-sex weddings based on their Christian beliefs. See full story at OneNewsNow.
“This [decision] effectively strips us of all our First Amendment rights,” the Kleins state on their Facebook page. “According to the state of Oregon, we have neither freedom of religion nor freedom of speech.”
Thankfully, the Kleins have not backed down, as Aaron said in an interview following the verdict: “He wants to silence anyone who opposes his point of view. Unfortunately, he’s doing this with the wrong Christian, because I fight back.”
The Kleins are requesting a stay on the fine in an effort to delay the order and will begin the appeals process. But until then, Aaron and Melissa will not be silenced and will continue to speak out against the anti-Christian intolerance imposed by Commissioner Brad Avakian.
“I don’t believe that a man who sits in an office like that has the authority to do that. The Constitution has given me freedom of speech, and I’m going to stand behind what the Constitution has to say. I think that every American should be very afraid when a public official seems to think that they have the right to strip them of any of their constitutional freedoms. We need to very outspoken about that.” – Aaron Klein on “Washington Watch” July 6, 2015