Crystal O'Connor, the owner of Memories
Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, says God “has blessed us for standing
up” against gay marriage.
O'Connor told The Blaze that her
restaurant was forced to close its doors after a local station aired
her comments in support of a so-called religious freedom bill that
critics argue would allow businesses to refuse service to gay men and
lesbians.
(Related: Indiana,
Arkansas governors sign revised “religious freedom” bills.)
She told the local station that she
would refuse a gay couple who wanted them to cater their wedding.
The pizza shop was engulfed by negative
comments on social media.
A GoFundMe.com campaign set up by The
Blaze “to help the family stave off the burdensome cost of having
the media parked out front, activists tearing them down, and no
customers coming in” raised more than $842,000 in 3 days.
Appearing Thursday on Fox News
Business, O'Connor told host Neil Cavuto that she and her father
felt blessed for the financial support, $200,000 at the time of the
interview.
“God has blessed us for standing up
for what we believe, and not denying Him,” she said.
Speaking to “the gays,” O'Connor
added: “We have to accept them. And we just ask they accept
us.”