Anything that requires that you actively participate in an activity, I can understand the importance of being able to decline, but your example is far different from the baker or florist... A photographer can state that they do not participate in hunting activities and decline the offer.

Here's a better example: Say I'm a Christian hairdresser. I've been doing Betty's hair for years, and I've always styled it in loose waves. Betty is getting married to a woman and has asked me to style her hair for the wedding. She wants an up-do. I can climb on my soapbox and tell her she'll burn in hell and I'll not participate in her satan-themed event, and face legal prosecution. Or, I can regretfully remind Betty that I haven't the talent to create an up-do and refer her to another stylist who will be able to make Betty's day special. Maybe I'm declining because I really can't do an up-do (and I better not ever do one after this), or maybe I really am an asshole who thinks I can profit from a person for years and then hurt them when they ask me to help them make their day extra special.

If you bake cakes for weddings, that's what you do. If you've never baked a wedding cake, but a gay couple comes in and asks you to, you can honestly turn them away because they're asking for something you don't offer. There's no such thing as a gay cake, so if you make and sell cake, you better be ready to sell it to anyone who walks into your bakery. Same for a florist. A DJ... well, that's more like the wildlife photographer... do you really want someone with a homophobic/Christian axe to grind to have a microphone at your gay reception?

As for the hate-message cakes, courts have upheld the rights of bakeries to decline to create the message. They must provide the cake, and may provide the icing to be used for the message, but they are not required to create the message.

@GinaMaria cake decorating is an art. the government forcing an artist to produce art against their will is something I could never support. Regardless of the reason. If they are selling pre made cakes , there should be no discrimination. Custom cakes should be up to the artist.

@wmou If you're asking for a standard wedding cake out of their catalog, not asking them to do something outside the ordinary, then who you are or who you're marrying, doesn't matter.

When I was younger, there was a saying, "your rights end where anothers begin." It was to point out that decency and respect of others shouldnt be ignored just because you have a right to do something. All rights come with a corresponding responsibility-- We can speak but not slander.

But this concept that a business has these same rights is scary nonsense. Regardless of subsets, we are all americans. If you operate a business, you should not have the right to discriminate against anyone for no other reason than before long, it will be everyone being discriminated against.

No, but the bakery shouldn't be permitted to deny them the same cake they sell anyone else. If they want a hate-cake, they can modify it after they leave the premises.

Under the current law you don’t have to since those things don’t fall under protected classes.

It was really "God Hates Figs".

I would absolutely bake a cake for those people, but if they offer you some of my cake; I would suggest that you politely refuse.

You can refuse to decorate ot with certain things without discriminating against the individual.