Is It Legal To Discriminate Against My Gay Son?

As a parent, as a mother, I wanted to provide a solid foundation for my children, one built on the principles of love, respect, and compassion. I wanted to teach them what it means to be a good person, to be happy, to follow their dreams, to love and be loved.

I also wanted them to know that one person can make a difference.

When my oldest son met the love of his life, they got engaged, and then set a wedding date. Like millions of couples before them, they started planning for their wedding and reception.

Their event planner recommended a nearby bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop for their reception cake, so the boys made an appointment to talk with Jack Phillips to discuss their cake options.

This was my first child's wedding, and I felt excited and honored to accompany my son (Charlie) and fiancée (Dave), to the bakery to look at and taste cakes. When we sat down with Jack Phillips to discuss cake options, he soon realized who the cake was for and immediately told us that he would not make a cake for a same-sex couple.

I just sat there in disbelief while the baker tried to justify his actions. I felt a uniquely motherly pain watching my grown son being humiliated in public. What should have been a pleasant experience, and something to cross off of the "to do" list, turned into a surreal experience.

The next morning I called Jack Phillips. I wanted to know why he had done what he had done. He claimed to be a Christian and I said that I am one too. I shared with him that I serve a loving God whose son taught us to love and not judge others.

He then tried to use religion to justify his discrimination. I tried to understand his reasoning for a few minutes and then I said goodbye.

Within days, we turned disbelief into action. Word of what happened spread amongst family, friends, and friends of family and the story was picked up by the press. Charlie and Dave received an outpouring of support from people worldwide. People were signing petitions, forming discussion groups, and holding protests.

Young people sought me out personally to share their coming-out stories. Stories of pain and rejection they experienced from family members. I felt their pain. I love my son and could not imagine how anyone could turn their backs on their children.

I cannot tell you how many people have shared stories with me of a family member who came out and they didn't know how to respond. I believe in advocating for what you think is right, and in the past five years I have become a stronger advocate for equality.

With the help from the American Civil Liberties Union, Charlie and Dave filed a formal complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission stating that Masterpiece Cakeshop had violated the longstanding Colorado law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in a public accommodation.

Over the past five years the Colorado office of Administrative Courts, The Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and the Colorado Court of Appeals confirmed that Masterpiece Cakeshop had broken the law by discriminating against Charlie and Dave.

In the days since we walked into Masterpiece Cakeshop so much has happened. Marriage equality has become the law of the land and people have become more tolerant, celebrating our differences instead of using them to humiliate each other. Faith is an important part of many people's lives, and freedom of religion is protected by the Constitution.

But using this religious freedom as a way to discriminate is not only morally wrong, it sends a confusing message of how a Christian should be. I found that the majority of those who oppose equal rights for gay people only think of a sexual act and not for the love two people have for one another.

If I were walking down the street holding hands with a man, would people yell out vulgarities at us? I don't think so. So why do people think that it's okay to do that to same-sex couples?

And while this has been an incredible journey, it's a journey that is not yet finished as the case is not yet settled. In a last-ditch effort to affirm a license to discriminate, Masterpiece Cakeshop appealed to the US Supreme Court, which last week agreed to hear the case.

I remain hopeful that the highest court in the land will continue to affirm what the lower courts have already affirmed. On that day, by standing up for equal treatment, a difference was made not only in our lives, but in countless others as well.

Deborah Munn is the mother of Charlie Craig, a plaintiff in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which the U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will be hearing.