Bakers' Surprise 'Love' Cakes Spark a Big Response From Gay Rights Groups Who Received Them

Gay rights organizations are responding in a variety of ways after Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of the Sweetcakes by Melissa bakery, sent cakes and letters out to numerous LBGT groups in an effort to deliver what the Kleins contend was a powerful message about faith and freedom.

As previously reported, the Kleins, who were ordered by Oregon state officials last month to pay $135,000 in damages after they declined to make a lesbian wedding cake, shipped the care package out last week along with gift cards and copies of "Audacity," evangelist Ray Comfort's controversial film about homosexuality.

From immensely skeptical to very thankful, recipients' responses have run the gamut from negative to positive.

Aaron and Melissa Klein are sending cakes to gay and lesbian groups (Melissa Klein)

"This seems to a semi-clever publicity stunt to promote an independent film," Jim Key, chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, told TheBlaze. "I hope the cake is better than the movie’s reviews."

Key said that his organization immediately appealed to its followers on social media to ask what should be done with the package.

A message posted to the center's Facebook page on August 21 read, "We're one of the ‪#‎LGBT‬ centers that received a cake from the Oregon bakers. Should we eat the cake? What would you do?"

One user named Sérgio Galvão wrote, "Eat the cake! We should be more accepting and tolerant than them! But have someone try the cake just in case." Another named Amanda Johnson added, "Toss the cake but send them a big thank you," including a link to website that sells glitter bombs and other related products.

Despite a mixture of positive and negative suggestions from followers, the Los Angeles LGBT Center announced that it intended to give the cake  — which include text that reads, "We really do love you!" — to a local religious group, but that it had spoiled before leaders there could do so.

"We got in touch with All Saint's Episcopalian Church in Beverly Hills. They make lunch for youth at our Youth Center once a month," a message read. "We were going to give it to them to share with our youth on Saturday, but unfortunately the cake had spoiled by Friday night."

Michael Dimengo, CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, confirmed in an interview with TheBlaze on Monday that his organization also received a cake — and joked about the fact that his staff wasted no time in eating it.

"We devoured the cake in about 10 minutes," he admitted.

On a serious note, Dimengo expressed gratitude to the Kleins for opening up dialogue by sending the cake.

"We received it with a great deal of skepticism, but nevertheless we received it after working through our skepticism warmly," he said. "I think it takes a lot for folks to reach out to the other side of the fence. I credit them for doing that."

He did say that he hasn't had time to watch the "Audacity" DVD, but that some gays and lesbians who he has interacted with find the movie to be "homophobic." That said, he appreciates the cake and letter as a positive gesture from the Kleins.

Dimengo, who said that he owes the couple a "thank you" for sending the cake, stressed the importance that he sees in having both sides of the homosexuality debate sit down to discuss their beliefs in a calm and collected manner.

"I happen to have a particular motive and that is — I see it as necessary for us to sit down together around one table and talk through our differences. I look at the Kleins' initiative as just that, opening up the door," he said. "I don't think it's good for us to continue to throw barbs at one another. I see much more happening by bringing folks together and even if we're diametric opposites."

Dimengo said that he believes both the gay and Christian communities are "caring," with one focusing on care in the "name of Christ" and the other taking a more "humanistic" approach. In the end, he said that there's healing that needs to happen among the LBGT community when it comes to reconciling with Christians.

Aaron and Melissa Klein are sending cakes to gay and lesbian groups (Melissa Klein)

"You say the word 'Christian' and our community already has a negative [view], because they've been so hurt by the Christian community, they've been hurt in the name of Christ," Dimengo said, expressing openness to dialogue on the matter.

Canvass for a Cause — a third group that reportedly received one of the cakes from the Kleins — had an entirely different response: to auction the cake off on eBay in an effort to bring in some money to help transgendered individuals.

"We are auctioning off this cake to re-direct the money spent on the Klein Family's 'gesture of love' to the transgender community," an eBay description read. "Please help us make this a true gesture of love."

Melissa Klein told TheBlaze on Monday that she has been "really surprised" by the thankful reactions she has received by some of the organizations, and said that she, her husband and Comfort only meant well by sending the packages.

"I was really excited to get a couple of responses. I was really surprised," she said. "My thoughts were, 'Okay, it's probably going to get thrown in the garbage.' ... It was really exciting. I'm just really hoping that we can kind of open up a dialogue and be able to talk."

Klein said that making the cakes was the best way she could think to share her talents and put a package together to show "some love" to the gay community. As for the "Audacity" DVD, she said that she believes that the movie "really shows the heart of a Christian."

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