“Sweet Cakes By Melissa Violated Oregon Law By Turning Away Lesbian Couple, Officials Rule,” 3 Feb 2015

The owners of an Oregon bakery who turned away a lesbian couple who sought a wedding cake violated the state's anti-discrimination laws, state officials announced…The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries ruled that [the owners of] Sweet Cakes by Melissa…will have to pay the lesbian couple up to $150,000…Bureau spokesman…said in a statement…that although Oregon law provides an exemption for religious institutions, it "does not allow private businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation...The bakery is not a religious institution under the law.” [T]he [defendants]...lawyer, called the ruling "wrong and dangerous," and added, "Americans should not have to choose between adhering to their faith or closing their business, but that is what this decision means."…With more U.S. states implementing same-sex marriage legislation, bakeries have become an unlikely battleground for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender...rights in recent months…