Gay evangelical Christian Matt Stolhandske is coming to the aid of Christian bakers punished for refusing service to a lesbian couple.
Aaron and Melissa Klein of Oregon were fined $150,000 for refusing to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding, and Stolhandske is spearheading a fundraising effort for them.
In February 2013, news broke that the Kleins had turned Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman away from their bakery, Sweets by Melissa,, citing their religious beliefs.
"I didn't want to be a part of [their] marriage which I think is wrong," Aaron told KATU last year.
"I am who I am and I want to live my life the way I want to live my life," Melissa added. "I choose to serve God and I believe in the Bible. And I believe what it says and I want to live by that."
The couple was forced to shutter the business later that year due to protests that Aaron described as "mafia tactics."
"Basically, 'If you do business with Sweet Cakes, we will shut you down,'" he said of the actions taken against the bakery.
In January 2014, the Kleins were found guilty of unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation, and revealed last month that they were subject to a six-figure fine. Upon learning of the couple's dire situation, Stolhandske, an Evangelicals for Marriage Equality board member, stepped in to help.
"The Kleins say the $150,000 fee will bankrupt her family," he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. "I'm raising money to help offset that cost. I'll send whatever we raise along to the Klein family with a message of love and peace. I don't want them to suffer."
Stolhandske created a page on crowdfunding site Rally.org to raise funds for the couple. Over $1,500 has been raised toward the $150,000 goal. Although Stolhandske maintains that he doesn't approve of the Kleins' actions, he wants to shift the "national cultural conversation from one of intolerance towards one of compassion and love."
