The number of customers at Jack Phillips' Masterpiece Cakeshop has reportedly increased three-fold after US Supreme Court justices ruled in his favor in a lawsuit over his refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding.
In a recent email to The Christian Post, Phillips said that many people have stopped by the bakery to show their support for him in the case.
'The state's targeting of my beliefs cost me 40 percent of my business and forced me from 10 employees down to four. But we're so happy to be busy doing what we do best at our shop,' Phillips told The Christian Post.
'We're also eager to start designing custom wedding cakes again. A cake is a canvas, and I'm really looking forward to creating beautiful art that celebrates such a special day.'
He added, though: 'Since we won, we've seen far more support than negativity.'
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on June 4 in favor of Phillips, overturning a previous decision by a Colorado court that ruled Phillips had violated anti-discrimination laws when he declined to bake a cake for the wedding of same-sex couple Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012.
The high court contended that Colorado violated the First Amendment of the Constitution when the state imposed penalties on Phillips for declining the gay couples' order.
The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the nonprofit organization that supported Phillips in the case, reported that nearly 400 people came to the bakery to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling earlier this month. The Christian baker reportedly offered some free cookies to the crowd, which included some activists who protested the decision. The protesters, however, turned down his offer.
In a video posted by the organization, Phillips' supporters were heard chanting 'Jack is back' and 'Love free speech!'
Phillips said that the bakery had received some support even from people who disagree with him on his stance on marriage, including from people who identify as LGBT.
However, he said that he had also received a lot of negative reactions from others. 'While we've seen much support, it hasn't all been positive. Throughout the case, I received a lot of harassment, profanity-laced phone calls, and even some death threats. The threats got so bad at one point that my wife was afraid to set foot inside our own shop,' he said, as reported by The Christian Post.
Phillips previously said that he serves everyone who comes into his bakery, including homosexuals, but that he felt he could not create a cake that contained messages supporting same-sex marriage because it would conflict with his religious beliefs.
