The whole Memories Pizza “won’t cater a gay wedding story” just doesn’t add up.
First, as has been pointed out all over social media, no gay couple ever called out for pizza for their wedding. But that’s just pointing out the obvious.
We’re to believe a small-town Indiana pizza shop is suddenly the flashpoint for anti-Christian discrimination by the LGBT community and in one day they’re out of business?!
Sorry. Don’t believe it.
This became a story when a South Bend TV station told a reporter to travel about 30 minutes to the town of Walkerton and get reactions to the “religious freedom” bill that just passed. The owner of the pizza shop — or maybe she’s the owner’s daughter? — said she’s in favor of the law and then added that they wouldn’t cater a same-sex wedding.
A day later, the business was closed.
Sorry. There’s something wrong with this story.
First of all, media reporting the story should point out that the TV station had to travel half an hour from its studio to even find a business that supported the law. They must have looked locally and found nothing.
Memories Pizza hadn’t issued a press release or gone on social media to go out of its way to bash the LGBT community. The owner/owner’s daughter made an off-handed remark, while on camera, just repeating the nonsense she’d heard all over media before about all the bakers and photographers who have been “forced” to cater same-sex weddings.
Then the next day her business is closed.
So let’s assume as a result of her TV appearance, there was a sudden boycott of her business. In one day, she was forced to close. What would happen if it snowed in her Indiana town and she was forced to shut down for one day? Would she also be out of business?
More likely than not, her friends and neighbors who saw her on TV the day before stopped by just to say they saw her and while they were there they bought something. I’m sure business was just fine at Memories yesterday.
Maybe she closed because of phone threats?
Let me tell you something about phone threats. Doing an LGBT radio show, I’ve gotten death threats, bomb threats and just plain harassing calls. Lots of them. A few weeks ago, I was substituting on KNON’s Jewish Music Hour and I got an anti-semitic call. Wow. Hadn’t heard that kind of stupidity in awhile.
Here’s what you do when you get threatening phone calls. You take the call seriously and call the police.
I can assure you here in Dallas, threats like that are taken seriously. Very seriously. I’m sure in Walkerton, Ind., the police know their downtown businesses and take those kinds of threats personally as well as seriously.
If Memories Pizza really is out of business, the business was failing already. If she’s closed because she’s overwhelmed by the response, fine, take a vacation. Everyone’s entitled to one.
Here’s how I see this case. A small town business was put in front of city media, said something stupid and panicked. If anyone is calling and harassing her, stop it. Really. Stop it now.
Memories Pizza isn’t the problem. Gov. Mike Pence who wants to fix the law but is against LGBT protections is the problem.
