Satanic Temple urges people to order Satan-themed cakes to protest anti-LGBT bakeries

SALEM, MA - JULY 25: Lucien Greaves, spokesman for The Satanic Temple, with a statue of Baphomet at the group's meeting house in Salem, MA. The Satanic Temple, a group of political activists who identify themselves as a religious sect, are seeking to establish After-School Satan clubs as a counterpart to fundamentalist Christian Good News Clubs, which they see as the Religious Right to infiltrate public education, and erode the separation of church and state. (Photo by Josh Reynolds for The Washington Post via Getty Images) less SALEM, MA - JULY 25: Lucien Greaves, spokesman for The Satanic Temple, with a statue of Baphomet at the group's meeting house in Salem, MA. The Satanic Temple, a group of political activists who identify ... more Photo: (Photo By Josh Reynolds For The Washington Post Via Getty Images) Photo: (Photo By Josh Reynolds For The Washington Post Via Getty Images) Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Satanic Temple urges people to order Satan-themed cakes to protest anti-LGBT bakeries 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

The LGBT community has found a seemingly unlikely ally in the Satanic Temple of Salem, Mass.

The group, and in particular, its co-founder Lucien Greaves, is asking those who live near a bakery run by anti-LGBT owners to order "#SatanCakes," or cakes "to honor Satan," as Greaves wrote in a press release.

Greaves' reasoning is that the group of people who worship Satan are a federally protected class — meaning a bakery cannot deny service on the basis of religion — but members of the LGBT community are not protected under the same legislation. (It should be noted that in the state of California, these individuals are part of a state-defined protected class.)

"The laws of the United States require that no one may discriminate by way of refusal of service against an evangelical theocrat for their religious beliefs, but the evangelical theocrat may discriminate against LGBTQ people because of who they are," Greaves wrote in a statement. "Because religion is a protected class, a baker may refuse service to LGBTQ people, but they may not refuse service based upon someone's religion."

Did you know: bakers can't refuse service to The Satanic Temple because religion is a "protected class"? #SatanCakes pic.twitter.com/9VrVndkbSi — Lucien Greaves (@LucienGreaves) September 26, 2017

In a conversation with the Huffington Post, Greaves says he hopes efforts like these will force the Supreme Count to "consider either adding sexual orientation as a protected class, or taking religion away from protected class status."

This fall, the Supreme Court will decide on a 2012 anti-discrimination lawsuit case brought forth against a baker in Colorado named Jack Phillips. Phillips refused to bake a wedding cake for David Mullins and Charlie Craig, a same-sex couple, citing his religious beliefs. A civil rights commission ruled in favor of the couple, and an appeals court upheld the ruling.

"(The bakery named) Masterpiece remains free to continue espousing its religious beliefs, including its opposition to same-sex marriage," Judge Daniel Taubman wrote at the time. "However, if it wishes to operate as a public accommodation and conduct business within the State of Colorado, (the law) prohibits it from picking and choosing customers based on their sexual orientation."

The case is headed to the Supreme Court soon.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

