When a Christian person refuses service to a gay person it is all over the news. Every news outlet in the country carries the story and wags their head at the “shameful” treatment of the poor gay people. By the end of the day everyone has seen the story and knows the basic details of how this innocent gay person (or couple) has been terribly mistreated by the awful Christian person (or couple).

Instances of overblown media attention include the case of the baker in Colorado that refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding; the florist in Washington that refused to provide flowers for a gay wedding; and the printer that refused to print t-shirts for a gay-pride parade. (Just for good measure let’s throw in the pizza shop that refused to provide pizza for a gay wedding.)

In each of these accounts a Christian business owner is exercising his or her right to live and do business according to their faith. They are refusing to provide service – not because they hate the gay people – but because they do not want to show support for gay marriage, something their faith will not allow.

But, have you ever heard the mainstream media (MSM) report on the large amount of support these Christians received from the gay community for doing business according to their faith?

My guess is you didn’t find that story on any nightly news program or mainstream media (MSM) website. Sharing the support of LGBT people for Christians goes against the narrative being painted that says all Christians hate all gay people. And in order to make sure that narrative stays in tact the MSM must quash all accounts that defy their narrative. So their willful ignorance is carried out with bliss as they create a portrait that doesn’t accurately represent America or the people involved.

Consider the account of Blaine Adamson, the owner of Hands On Originals. This print shop refused to print a gay-pride t-shirt because it would violate Adamson’s deeply held religious convictions. Adamson arranged with another shop in town to have the shirt done for the same price he would have charged. But that didn’t satisfy the group asking for Adamson to print the shirt. They sued. What this says is that it was less about the printing and the cost as it was about making an example of Adamson.

However, shortly after this story made national news, Adamson found himself being supported by unlikely allies. Namely, the gay owners of another print shop in town! Diane DiGeloromo owns BMP T-Shirts. DiGeloromo is gay and she supports Adamson for refusing to print the gay-pride shirts. She says that “no one should be forced to do something against what they believe in.”

DiGeloromo also said in a report:

“If we were approached by an organization such as the Westboro Baptist Church, I highly doubt we would be doing business with them, and we would be very angry if we were forced to print anti-gay T-shirts. This isn’t a gay or straight issue. This is a human issue.”

She hits the nail on the head with her statement. This is indeed a human issue because if the government can force one person to violate their deeply held convictions you better believe they will force others. In fact, if the government can coerce a person to do anything they will soon seek to coerce us all into doing what they want; regardless of our individual views. So yes, this is indeed a human issue that will – if not stopped – affect us all.

That’s the only time a gay person supported a Christian. The couple that refused to bake a cake for a lesbian wedding has also found support from gay people; and atheists!

Aaron and Melissa Klein owned Swwet Cakes by Melissa,” a shop in town that had a reputation for making great cakes. They refused to make a cake for a lesbian couple citing their religious convictions. The couple sued and took the story public. Of course the backlash was immediate and the Klein’s had to close their shop. That’s the part you probably saw on the news or read online. But what you might not have known is that many people, gay, atheist and otherwise, came out in support of the Klein’s.

In a video posted online, a self-identified gay baker named Jesse Bartholomew tore into the gay community for their atrocious actions, even calling them “bully” and “Nazi” for their treatment of the Klein’s. He said:

“Hi guys, my name is Jesse [Bartholomew] and I bake wedding cakes for a living, and I cannot tell you how disgusted I am with my fellow gay and lesbian community — that they would stoop so low as to force someone to bake a cake for them who simply doesn’t agree with them. And before you can go and blame me and say that they have to — no, they don’t have to. They don’t have to bake a cake for you. There’s no other bakers out there? It’s plain and simple: you are bullying someone, you are forcing someone, you are being a Nazi and forcing someone to bake a damn wedding cake for you when there are hundreds of other gays and lesbians that would gladly have your business. Shame on you.”

Bartholomew wasn’t the only gay person showing support for the Klein’s. Another gay man revealed that there are “hundreds of thousands” of gay people that do not support the “homosexual agenda” and they are criticized for it. He said:

“I am a gay man and can’t [believe] that people cannot hold their religious beliefs when conducting business. I think this was a money making scheme by his couple and others in the gay community. I am ashamed of many who are gay! There are hundreds of thousands of gay men and women who don’t support the gay agenda. We are criticized and shunned if we do not go along with the crowd!”

And an atheist showed support for the Klein’s by writing:

“I want you to know that even though I am a firm atheist, I DO believe in all of our 1st amendment rights. And your story and the persecution you are being subjected to really, really, really pisses this non-believer off. I am on your side and I will have your back on this. All the way. And since “god bless” is not my thing, I will say; fight the good fight, and good luck.”

The conclusion that we should all arrive at is that freedom allows us to both disagree with one another and to live out our convictions without fear of government reprisal. This means that if I, as a Christian, choose not to participate in a gay wedding by baking a cake, that’s my right. It also means the gay baker that doesn’t want to make my traditional marriage cake should be allowed to refuse. The Muslim should not have to bake a cake topped with bacon; and the atheist should not have to bake a cake praising Jesus.

And all of us should have the decency and respect for the divergent views of other people to afford them the freedom to live according to those beliefs without being sued.

The truth is that if one person can be forced to violate his/her deeply held convictions then every person can be forced to do the same. Once one group’s convictions don’t matter it is only a matter of time before no one’s convictions matter. So in the interest of freedom I will gladly find another baker, florist, photographer, or shop if serving me would violate their deeply held convictions. I’ll do it with a smile of gratitude and my sincere appreciation for their beliefs.