Indiana Pizzeria That Vowed Not To Cater Gay Weddings Shutters
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | April 26, 2018
The Indiana pizzeria that made headlines three years ago for vowing not to cater the weddings of gay or lesbian couples has closed.
According to The South Bend Tribune, a sign on the front window of Memories Pizza says it closed last month.
Owner Crystal O'Connor created a stir in 2015 when she weighed in on a so-called religious freedom bill signed by then-Governor Mike Pence. Critics argued that the law allowed businesses to refuse service to LGBT people, forcing Pence to call for a “fix.”
“If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,” O'Connor said at the time. “We are a Christian establishment.”
Kevin O'Connor, Crystal's father, added: “That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?”
The pizza shop was engulfed by negative comments on social media. The family claimed that they were forced to close their doors for a week after they received death threats.
A GoFundMe.com campaign set up by The Blaze “to help the family stave off the burdensome cost of having the media parked out front, activists tearing them down, and no customers coming in” raised more than $842,000 in 3 days.
In response to the fundraiser, Crystal O'Connor told Fox News Businesses: “God has blessed us for standing up for what we believe, and not denying him.”