Supporters of the Indiana pizzeria at the center of a public controversy surrounding the state's new "Religious Freedom" bill have raised more than $200,000 for the family business in less than 24 hours.
The owners of Memories Pizzeria in Walkerton temporarily closed the doors of their restaurant after receiving backlash on the Internet for supporting Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's bill and stating that they would not cater a gay wedding.
Lawrence Billy Jones III, who works as a contributor to the conservative radio station The Blaze, created a Go Fund Me page to support the O'Connor family, who owns the restaurant. By 11 a.m. Thursday, the page had raised more than $130,000. By 2 p.m. the funds were up to $211,000. More than 7,000 people had donated in about 21 hours.
The purpose of the fund is "to relieve the financial loss endured by the proprietors' stand for faith," according to the site.
After the O'Connors said they would not cater gay weddings, opponents of the bill flooded the Memories Pizza Yelp page with negative reviews. Crystal O'Connor, one of the owners of the restaurant, told Dana Loesch on The Blaze that the family had also received threats, including a Tweet about burning down the restaurant.
The O'Connors claim they would not discriminate against gay customers in their restaurant.
"We stood up for what we believe," Crystal O'Connor told Loesch. "The news took it totally out of proportion. They lied about it. We said that we would serve anyone that walked in that door, even gays. But we will not cater (gay) weddings."
U.S. & World
O'Connor said she has no source of income while the restaurant is closed and the family has considered leaving town.
Gov. Pence, who signed the bill, said he does not believe his law is discriminatory either. In a Tuesday op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Pence wrote that the bill is not a "license to discriminate" and that he "abhors discrimination."
The bill, which was enacted last Thursday, sparked outrage across the country. The measure prohibits state laws that "substantially burden" a person's ability to follow his or her religious beliefs. This means business owners, like the O'Connors, are allowed to refuse participating in gay weddings.
While opponents of the law see it as discrimination against gays, supporters of the O'Connors see the backlash against their restaurant as discrimination against religion.
"Nobody should ever have to suffer -- or suffer alone -- for their faith, for standing up for Christian principles," Loesch said.
