Tennessee store puts ‘No Gays Allowed’ sign back up after Supreme Court cake ruling

A Tennessee hardware store owner is celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a bakery that refused to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding by placing a “No Gays Allowed” sign in front of his store. 

Jeff Amyx, who owns Amyx Hardware & Roofing Supplies in Grainger County, initially posted the sign in 2015 after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage but later removed it following intense backlash. 

The sign returned this week, however, after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, according to WBIR 10.

{mosads}Amyx told the local NBC affiliate that the ruling came as a shock to him, calling the decision a victory for Christianity.

“Christianity is under attack,” Amyx said. “This is a great win, don’t get me wrong, but this is not the end, this is just the beginning. Right now, we’re seeing a ray of sunshine. This is ‘happy days’ for Christians all over America, but dark days will come.” 

Amyx initially posted the “No Gays Allowed” sign in front of his store in 2015 because he wanted to stand for what he believed in as a Christian, he said.

But due to public scrutiny, he replaced it with a sign that read: “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone who would violate our rights of freedom of speech & freedom of religion.”

Amyx added that he fears a future Supreme Court decision will be different. 

In a narrow 7-2 decision written by Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday, the court said that religious and philosophical objections to same-sex marriage are in some instances protected forms of expression.

In addition, the court said that Colorado can protect gay people from being discriminated against by businesses that are open to the public. But it notes that the law must be applied in a manner that is neutral toward religion.

On Thursday, an Arizona appeals court ruled that a Phoenix-based calligraphy business cannot refuse to serve same-sex couples, citing Monday’s decision.