A Colorado Baker Is Fined For Refusing To Make A Cake For A Transgender Woman

Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

A Colorado baker who violated state anti-discrimination law by refusing to bake a birthday cake for a trans woman was fined $ 500, a state judge has ruled.

In the ruling, Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones said trans woman 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 due to her condition as transgender, which was in violation of the law.

In Tuesday's ruling, Denver District Judge A. Bruce Jones said trans woman Autumn Scardina was denied a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside to celebrate her gender transition in her birthday due to her transgender status, which was in violation of the law.

Baker Jack Phillips said he couldn't make the cake because of his message, meaning that a person can change gender, but Judge Jones said the case was more about a refusal to sell a product, and not the baker was being forced to agree to the message on the cake.

The judge also noted that Phillips testified during a trial in March that he did not believe anyone could change his gender and that he would not celebrate someone who believes he can.

"Anti-discrimination laws are designed to ensure that members of our society who have historically been treated unfairly, who have even been deprived of the day-to-day right to access companies to buy products, are no longer treated as 'other'", Judge Jones said.

The group of attorneys representing Baker Phillips, Alliance Defending Freedom, said it would appeal the ruling ordering it to pay the $ 500 fine to its client.

Colorado transgender people say discrimination persists despite laws

Despite the numerous laws that protect people from discrimination, people in Colorado still feel discriminated against in different areas of life.

Advocates for the transgender community in the Denver metro area say that the discrimination that transgender people regularly face often results in limited employment options and the income inequalities that follow. This in turn can limit your ability to find a quality, affordable housing. The lack of affordable housing in Denver, they say, has only worsened the dilemma they face.

“Most of the owners don't want to rent their property to trans people, they don't want to have anything to do with us, because they have certain feelings about it. So when a trans person shows up, they suddenly say that the place is no longer available, ” A person explained to Colorado Trust, speaking from her own experience and that of her clients. “Most of the time, transgender people stay in hotels or have to move from one house to another; hopefully luckily, they stay with relatives ”.

Due to the discrimination they face, many transgender people live marginalized. They have low-paying jobs and their income is not traceable, so they do not have the necessary pay stubs to verify their income on housing applications.

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