Memories Pizza is no more. The Indiana pizza parlor that became a lightning rod after admitting it would take advantage of then-Governor Mike Pence’s law allowing people and businesses the “right” to refuse to serve same-sex couples and LGBT people – on religious grounds – has closed its doors for good.
“A sign in the front window of the pizza shop says it was shuttered last month,” The South Bend Tribune reports.
Three years ago this month the Walkerton restaurant became the first to say they’d refuse to cater a same-sex wedding.
“If a gay couple came in and wanted us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,” Crystal O’Connor said at the time. “We are a Christian establishment.”
The owners of the small town shop told reporters they didn’t think they were being discriminatory, and said they would be happy to serve gay people, but they’d decline to cater the wedding of a same-sex couple.
“I don’t think it’s discrimination,” O’Connor said. Gov. Pence’s law is “supposed to help people that have a religious belief.”
“We’re not discriminating against anyone, that’s just our belief and anyone has the right to believe in anything,” she also said.
Outrage was immediate. The family claimed they received death threats and shut down for a week. Thanks to Glenn Beck and the religious right, the O’Conner family were the beneficiaries of $842,387 that was raised in just two days, before the fundraiser mysteriously closed, no reason given.
The family had said they would share the cash with various non-profits, Christian churches, and anti-gay florist Barronnelle Stutzman.