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Local same-sex couple prepares for Supreme Court journey in wedding cake case

Case stems from denial of wedding cake
Posted at 6:54 PM, Nov 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-13 20:54:23-05

For Dave Mullins and Charlie Craig morning tea is a tradition in their home. But another tradition most couples take for granted, a wedding cake, came with a bitter obstacle.                

In 2012, the couple went to the Masterpiece Cake Shop in Lakewood hoping to get a wedding cake. But the store's owner refused, saying his religious freedom gives him the right to deny business to same-sex couples.

"He was soft-spoken. He told us he wasn't going to make the cake for religious reasons,” said Craig.    

On December 5, the anniversary of Dave and Charlie's first date, their long legal battle reaches the US Supreme Court. They hope justices on the nation's highest court will uphold previous rulings in their favor, which said businesses can't discriminate on religious grounds favoring free speech.

The couple knows the court's ruling, for or against them, will impact the lives of people across the country. 

"If we lose at the Supreme Court, it could open the door to a variety of forms of discrimination that have long been considered wrong," said Mullins.        

For Dave and Charlie, life these days is finding balance between the daily routine and an epic high-stakes legal battle.  

"The Supreme Court is something you read about in history books, in civics classes in high school. It's not a place you ever expect to find yourself sitting before, while a case that you're party to is being litigated," said Mullins. "The moral of this story is that this case is not about cakes, and it's not about weddings either.  This case is about basic access to public life."

Denver7 is working to profile bake shop owner Jack Phillips. We spoke to him last week when hundreds of his supporters rallied at the state Capitol.