Bakery owner Marjorie Silva stands for a photo inside her own Azucar Bakery, in Denver. Silva is facing a discrimination complaint with Colorado’s Civil Rights Division because she refused to write hateful words about gays on a cake for a customer. Photo: Ivan Moreno, AP

Bakery owner Marjorie Silva stands for a photo inside her own Azucar Bakery, in Denver. Silva is facing a discrimination complaint with Colorado’s Civil Rights Division because she refused to write hateful words about gays on a cake for a customer. Photo: Ivan Moreno, AP

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies has determined that a Denver bakery did nothing wrong when it refused to write anti-gay messages on a cake

In the ruling released Friday, the Colorado Civil Rights Division rejected the argument that Azucar Bakery discriminated against the customer’s religion when it refused the order in March 2014, reports KUSA-TV.

The state ruled that the cake shop had every right not to make the cakes on the grounds that the message on the cakes would be “derogatory.”

The complaint against Marjorie Silva, owner of Azucar Bakery, was filed by Castle Rock, Colo., resident Bill Jack, who claimed Silva discriminated against his religious beliefs when she refused to decorate a cake showing two groomsmen with a red “x” over them and messages about homosexuality being a sin.

Silva said she would make the cake, but declined to write his suggested messages on the cake, telling him she would give him icing and a pastry bag so he could write the words himself. Silva said the customer didn’t want that.

In its ruling, the state determined that because Silva would have responded to any other customer the same way, the bakery didn’t refuse service because of the customer’s religion.

Article continues below

Jack is a founder of Worldview Academy , a “non-denominational organization dedicated to helping Christians think and live in accord with a Biblical worldview,” according to the organization’s website. He said in a statement to KUSA-TV that people are trying to censor the Bible using state laws and he plans to appeal.

“It is offensive that the bakers who refused me service deemed the Bible verses I requested on two cakes discriminatory, and the Colorado Civil rights Division considered that reason enough for them to deny me service,” he said.

Associated Press contributed to this report.