A Colorado judge today determined that a Madison bakery unlawfully discriminated against an Atheist by refusing to sell him a hot cross bun without a cross.
Stephen Densmore visited Daily Bread Bakery on High Street, Madison with his mother in the weeks leading up to Easter to purchase two spiced sweet buns made of currents or raisins. Upon asking whether the bakery made such a product, he was told about the store’s speciality: Hot Cross Buns. Mr Densmore then asked whether there were any made without the cross, which he discovered that there were not. Thus the beginning of the legal action.
Mr Densmore sued that bakery for failing to provide a ‘cross-less hot cross bun’ for people who do not celebrate Easter.
“Being denied the right to buy a cross-less bun was offensive and dehumanising especially in the midst of what should have been a pleasant morning out with my mother”, said Mr Densmore. “No one should be forced to buy baked goods that go against who they really are. I am grateful to have the support of my friends and family and I hope that today’s decision will help ensure that no one else will experience this kind of discrimination again in Colorado”.
While Mr Densmore’s primary claim was on the basis of religious discrimination, he was also awarded nominal damages for a secondary claim on the grounds of false advertising. The judge found sufficient evidence regarding the temperature of the bun as Mr Densmore testimony included the following: “After I was forced to buy a hot cross bun, I was quite surprised by its temperature. It was not hot at all. I didn’t want to buy a hot cross bun, but I would never have bought a cold cross bun”.
The decision has angered many Christians and worried many bakers.
“Hot cross buns are one of the biggest sale items for bakeries in the weeks leading up to and after Easter”, said the President of Bakeries Unions, Mr John Leavenson. “Many bakeries could simply crumble under the added pressure of making cross-less buns. If the courts want to maintain any public confidence, this cooked up complaint should be thrown out on appeal.
Daily Bread Bakery has refused to comment and is currently seeking further legal advice regarding the decision.
Written in the style of Babylon Bee
