By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — Comedian and Grosse Pointe native Steven Crowder is getting attention for his video about Muslim bakers in Dearborn who refused to make a cake for his fake gay wedding.
Crowder posted the video on YouTube and his website (louderwithcrowder.com), getting more than 2.5 million views since April 2. He also started the hashtag on Twitter #GayWeddingCake getting thousands of tweets about the video.
According to his website, the hidden camera video was shot a long time ago, but wasn’t posted right away due to audio issues.
The video shows Crowder going into multiple bakeries posing as a gay man asking bakers to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. He asks for the phrase “Ben and Steven forever” to be written on the cake.
“The bakeries did do custom wedding cakes, that’s their business,” Crowder said. “Of course, some of the Muslim bakeries were nice enough and willing to serve us.”
Three of the bakeries however were not. Each gave Crowder the same response, asking him to go somewhere else to have the cake made.
The full video begins with Crowder speaking on the recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was signed into law by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on March 26.
According to the act, it does not authorize a provider to refuse services, facilities, use of public accommodations, goods, employment, or housing to any person on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or United States military service.
The act also states that the RFRA does not establish a defense to a civil action or criminal prosecution for refusing to provide the same things based on the previously listed categories.
The video can be viewed below.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)