GRESHAM —  The Christian owners of a bakery in Oregon that has been under investigation for declining to make a cake for a lesbian ‘wedding,’ state that they have been forced to close the doors to their shop and operate their business from home due to protests and harassment from homosexuals.

“This will be our last weekend at the shop,” Aaron and Melissa Klein wrote on Facebook on Friday. “We are moving our business to an in-home bakery.”

As previously reported, the Kleins operate Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a small shop painted in pink and decorated inside with crosses. In January, Aaron was approached by a mother and her daughter as the two were interested in a cake for the daughter’s upcoming wedding—to her lesbian partner.

“My first question was what’s the wedding date,” Klein told television station KTW in Portland. “My next question was [the] bride and groom’s name. … The girl giggled a little bit and said, ‘It’s two brides.’”

He stated that he then informed the women that the bakery does not make cakes for homosexual events.

“I apologized for wasting their time and said that unfortunately, we do not do same-sex marriages,” Klein explained.

The women then left Sweet Cakes upset about the incident, and later, one of them filed a complaint with the state.

“I believe that marriage is a religious institution ordained by God,” Klein told reporters. “The Book of Genesis talks about that: ‘For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.’ To me, that is the beginning—the basis of marriage.”

The Oregon Attorney General’s office then launched an investigation against the Klein’s as the state’s non-discrimination laws prevent public accommodations from being denied to any individual on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex [or] sexual orientation.”

But Klein stated that he regularly serves homosexuals. He believes that there is a difference between serving homosexuals in general, and having to facilitate same-sex ceremonies.

“I have customers come in almost on a weekly basis that are homosexual,” he said. “They can buy my stuff. I sell stuff. I talk with them. That’s fine.”

Since the matter made national headlines, the Kleins have experienced much opposition from homosexuals and same-sex ‘marriage’ advocates, including in the form of protests and angry phone calls and emails.

“You stupid Bible-thumping, hypocritical [expletive],” read one email. “I hope your kids get really, really sick and you go out of business.”

“Here’s hoping you go out of business, you bigot,” wrote another. “Enjoy Hell.”

Reports also state that emails expressed wishes that Aaron Klein be shot or raped.

Therefore, the Kleins have decided to move their bakery to their home as they state that their vendors were being “badgered and harassed” in an attempt to drive away contract business. Income also dropped significantly due to the matter.

However, the Kleins note that they have also received support regarding their Christian stand, and therefore, Sweet Cakes by Melissa is not going out of business, but rather relocating to avoid the drama taking place outside of their shop. Their last day at the location was Saturday.

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