The Indiana pizzeria that made
headlines three years ago for vowing not to cater the weddings of gay
or lesbian couples has closed.
According to The South Bend Tribune,
a sign on the front window of Memories Pizza says it closed last
month.
Owner Crystal O'Connor created a stir
in 2015 when she weighed in on a so-called religious freedom bill
signed by then-Governor Mike Pence. Critics argued that the law
allowed businesses to refuse service to LGBT people, forcing Pence to
call for a “fix.”
“If a gay couple came in and wanted
us to provide pizzas for their wedding, we would have to say no,”
O'Connor said at the time. “We are a Christian establishment.”
Kevin O'Connor, Crystal's father,
added: “That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be
heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat
over the head to go along with something they choose?”
The pizza shop was engulfed by negative
comments on social media. The family claimed that they were forced
to close their doors for a week after they received death threats.
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.
In response to the fundraiser, Crystal
O'Connor told Fox News Businesses: “God has blessed us for
standing up for what we believe, and not denying him.”