Cathy Miller is a cake designer and owner of the Tastries bakery in Bakersfield, California.
She’s also a devout Christian who politely and respectfully declined to create a cake for a same sex wedding in August 2017.
“I said you know I’m really sorry I can’t do your cake. But I know a good baker who can do your wedding cake,” she recalled.
“Within an hour we were bombarded by the news media and hate mail and it was just terrible.”
“So I locked the doors and prayed and it was a really, really, really hard day.”
“EXHAUSTING SEVEN YEAR ORDEAL OF HATE AND LEGAL BATTLES”
it was also the start of an exhausting legal ordeal that’s lasted nearly eight years and could be headed for the US Supreme Court, the nation’s highest court.
Cathy is a creative professional who is fighting to uphold her right to creative expression consistent with her faith and conscience without fear of government punishment.
But it hasn’t been easy
She has been the target of multiple lawsuits and hundreds of hateful threatening phone calls.
CAKE MAKER SUBJECTED TO HATE, HARASSMENT AND VILE THREATS
Her email was bombarded with pornographic images. People were calling and threatening to do all kinds of really vile and disgusting things to her and to her staff.
She and her employees were subjected a lot of harassment for a long period of time.
“I had seven employees quit in two weeks because they couldn’t handle it,” Cathy recounted.
“I can’t even go into how bad it has been, horrible to the point where I can only allow certain people to open our emails.”
“My daughter refused to let me see our social media which was so hateful.”
“AMAZING SAINTLY LADY WHO LOVES AND CARES ABOUT HER CUSTOMERS”
“Cathy didn’t intend to cause any harm, she was just trying to follow her faith and her conscience and stand up for what she believes in, but do it in a respectful and polite and loving way,” explained one of her attorneys Paul Jonna from the Thomas More Society.
“Cathy Miller is just an amazing, honest, joyful, saintly lady who loves and cares about all her customers,” he added.
Husband Mike Miller described his wife: “Cathy has been the person that has stood on her principles and her faith as long as I’ve known her and I guess for her entire life.”
Their long-time pastor, Roger Spradlin, said: “Cathy and Mike Miller are a wonderful couple that have been a part of our church for many, many years.”
“But more importantly, they’re people who love the Lord. They’re people that are committed to Christ.”
“They’re committed not only in their belief, but more importantly, perhaps, in their behavior, to live Christian principles in a way that influences people around them to want to be Christians themselves.”
CATHY MILLER SET DESIGN STANDARDS FOR HER SHOP
Her current attorney Adele Keim from Becket explained to CBN News how Cathy set design standards.
She avoided requests for marijuana infused creations when it was legalised in the state.
She also refused to create grotesque Halloween cakes, adult-themed products and cakes to celebrate divorces and same-sex weddings.
Some suspect Cathy Miller was set up, as Christian music is often played in the bakery with Christian books and Bibles on display.
She was an easy target for an orchestrated hate campaign that was unleashed within an hour of the same-sex couple leaving her store.
“PERSECUTED BY THE CALIFORNIAN GOVERNMENT”
Ms. Keim said Cathy is being persecuted by the California government.
After she scored a legal victory stating she couldn’t be compelled to operate against her sincerely-held views, the state won on appeal and the California Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
This means Cathy Miller will be appealing to the highest court in the land, hoping the justices take up the religious liberty battle.
WHAT ARE CATHY MILLER’S CHANCES IN THE US SUPREME COURT?
Attorney Adele Keim noted: “During Cathy’s long legal ordeal the US Supreme Court has said twice — when it comes to the wedding vendors who have a conscientious objection — Back off. Back off.”
“They said that in Masterpiece Cake Shop, which also involved a cake artist in Colorado, and they said it in 303 Creative, which involved a wedding website designer,” she told CBN News.
“The US Supreme Court has spoken very clearly, and California courts have not had ears to hear.”
Adele Keim urged Christians to: “Pray for Cathy and her staff. Pray for the people around them that have stood with them through all of this persecution”
“And if you have someone in your life who’s taking a stand for their faith, keep them in your prayers.”
