Funds Revived Pizzeria That Was Closed Due To Refusal To Serve At Gay Weddings

Memories Pizza, Indiana, has managed to raise $250,000 online through the GoFundMe  page started by Lawrence B. Jones III, a contributor to a conservative website, The Blaze. He was acting in response to a storm of protest against the pizzeria by gay supporters which almost forced the pizzeria to shut down, according to yahoo.com.

Memories Pizzeria in Walkerton, a family-run business, had said that it will not serve pizza to gay or lesbian weddings. They had thus refused to support marriage equality in support of their state's controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Crystal O'Connor, who ran the business said: "If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no," as it was opposed to their Christian values, according to motherjones.

It wasn't an act of discrimination, as critics of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act have said. "I do not think it's targeting gays," she said. "I don't think it's discrimination. It's supposed to help people that have a religious belief."

Emphasising that it is their choice, Kevin, her father, asked: "Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?"

Governor Mike Pence of Indiana agreed that anger over the new law of last Thursday, was due to "mischaracterization," and that the law just wanted to protect religious liberties. Yesterday, he said that the rising criticism can have a "legislative fix".

In spite of the national backlash to Indiana's law, the Arkansas state legislature passed its own religious freedom bill.