TORONTO – The owners of a pizza shop near South Bend, Indiana have said that in light of the state’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, they wouldn’t serve pizza at a same-sex wedding, according to an ABC News report.
Yelp reviewers freaked out.
“If a gay couple was to come in, say they wanted us to provide them pizzas for a wedding, we would have to say no,” Crystal O’Connor told ABC57 in Indiana. “We’re a Christian establishment.”
O’Connor went on to tell the ABC affiliate that she doesn’t think the law discriminates against anyone. Instead, she said, it’s meant to help people with religious beliefs.
“We’re not discriminating against anyone, it’s just that’s our belief. And everybody has their right to believe anything.”
But Yelp reviewers saw it otherwise. Within hours of the story being published online, the small-town pizza shop had racked up over 300 reviews on the website – many of whom weren’t from Indiana and only two of which were posted before the owners made their convictions known.
READ MORE: Indiana’s largest newspaper calls on state to ‘fix’ religious freedom bill
Dave N, from New York City, wanted to clarify something for the O’Connor family:
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Dave B from Philadelphia asked “why would I serve pizza at my wedding reception?”
But not all of the reviews were negative. A number of the reviews were positive, or at least sarcastically positive.
Betty S. from Denver, Colorado wrote Memories Pizza was her “go to place for God-fearing heterosexual pizza.”
“Should I ever be fortunate enough to find somebody willing to marry me you can bet your sweet behind that Memories pizza will cater my Jesus approved heterosexual coupling.”
Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows people – including businesses, institutions, and associations – to refuse service based on religious convictions.
The law has faced strong opposition in places other than Yelp reviews as well. Washington State governor Jay Inslee imposed an administration-wide ban on travel to Indiana, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the law “dangerous,” and the band Wilco cancelled a May concert in the state.
WATCH: The backlash from Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act continues to grow
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