Story: Local bakery refuses to make rainbow cupcakes for gay customer

An Indianapolis bakery is under fire from the gay and lesbian community over a choice not to serve a diversity group.

Indianapolis —
An Indianapolis bakery is under fire from the gay and lesbian community over a choice not to serve a diversity group.

A campus organization said it was denied service in what's become a flashpoint in the fight for equal rights.

This is what they were after: a mulitcolored cupcake to celebrate "National Coming Out Day" next month; a rainbow confection to honor the diversity on the campus of IUPUI. But the student who had the order placed at Just Cookies was told no.

"We're right on the cusp of being equal with anyone else, I don't know why they would do that," said student Shan Parker.

That student's partner and close friend are both troubled by the refusal. They believe it shows Indianapolis has a ways to go to embrace the gay and lesbian community.

"They weren't asking to petition for anything, they were just ordering cupcakes for an event," said Rebecca Scherpelz.

Fox59 went to City Market to get the business's side of the story, Just Cookies, but we didn't get just one version of what happened.

"Look around, we don't have cupcakes," said owner Lilly Stockton.

Stockton said she talked to someone who did ask for rainbow cookies but couldn't accommodate the order.

Stockton: "I don't have enough colors to do that."

Reporter: "Not enough colors, not because you didn't like what they stood for?"

Stockton: "She didn't tell me what it was for."

Then we talked to her husband David, who gradually made it clear that there was an earlier order... and yes, the customer was refused.

"I explained we're a family-run business, we have two young, impressionable daughters and we thought maybe it was best not to do that," said co-owner David Stockton.

"Values" is the same word used in the other argument.

"I just hope that what comes out of this is that there's some dialogue and discussion on what we value in our community, how we share those values and how we interact with our community members," said Scherpelz.

And the end of the day, the order was placed with another bakery on Massachussetts Avenue. "National Coming Out Day" is Oct 11th.

IUPUI's spokesperson said the school has no formal complaint against the bakery and added embracing diversity means allowing the business owners the right to their opinion and the right to choose how to serve its customers, as long as those customers are not discriminated against.

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Make your thoughts known about the bakery at Urban Spoon .

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Watch a video of the story here.

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