It is quite surprising that Courtney Hoffman, a lesbian business owner would donate to a cause that would help support the Christian owners of Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, after they came under fire for saying that they would rather not serve same-sex weddings because of their religious beliefs.
Hoffman's beliefs apparently clash with those of the LGBT community of Indiana, who verbally attacked the Christian owners and even threatened their business.
It seemed like Memories Pizza was done for good, that is, until Dana Loesch started the GoFundMe online fundraising page for the O'Connor family. She planned to raise $25,000 to help the family "stave off the burdensome cost of having the media parked out front, activists tearing them down, and no customers coming in."
So far, they have managed to raise over $842,442 and Hoffman was one of the sympathetic individuals who donated $20 to the cause, and she explained why.
"As a member of the gay community, I would like to apologize for the mean spirited attacks on you and your business. I know many gay individuals who fully support your right to stand up for your beliefs and run your business to those beliefs," Hoffman said. "We are outraged at the level of hate and intolerance that has been directed at you and I sincerely hope that you are able to rebuild."
Hoffman later went on The Jeff Adams Show and said that even though she and the O'Connors have different views, she believes that everybody has the right to refuse their services in certain situations.
"My girlfriend and I are small business owners and we think that there is a difference between operating in a public marketspace and then attaching the name of your business to a private event. If we were asked to set up an event at an anti-gay marriage rally, we would have to decline," she said.
