Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who became a right-wing hero for refusing to serve a same-sex couple, has a book deal.
Phillips’ memoir, which remains untitled, is set for release this summer by evangelical Christian publisher Salem Books, according to the Associated Press. The book is described as “a firsthand account of his experience on the front lines” of a cultural battle between religious and secular forces.
From AP: Phillips, who runs the Masterpiece Cakeshop in suburban Denver, became known nationally in 2012 after he cited religious objections in declining the request of two men who wanted a cake celebrating their marriage. The couple filed a complaint with the state’s civil rights commission, which ruled that Phillips should not have refused service. The baker appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 2018 voted 7-2 that the commission violated Phillips’ rights under the First Amendment. The court did not rule on the larger issue of whether businesses can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gays and lesbians.
Phillips, who later faced another lawsuit for refusing to serve a transgender woman, reached a final settlement with the Colorado Civil Rights Commission last year.
The Denver Post reported: The agreement marks the end of legal proceedings between Colorado and Phillips, who has said he cannot make such cakes because it would violate his Christian beliefs. Phillips has battled the state Civil Rights Commission in two separate cases, arguing in each that his right to freedom of speech and religion protect his decision to not bake cakes with LGBTQ themes. … Despite the drawn-out legal back-and-forth, Phillips’ policy regarding what cakes he will and will not bake has not changed. When reached by phone Tuesday, Phillips said he could not immediately comment and referred a reporter to his attorneys. In a statement, the baker said he still won’t make cakes that don’t align with his faith.
