The Indiana pizzeria that was forced to close following backlash over the owners’ comments on gay marriage and the Indiana religious freedom law will reopen sometime soon.
In an interview that aired this week, the owner’s daughter, Chrystal O’Connor, said that Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Ind., would not cater a gay wedding due to the family’s religious beliefs. Following outcry over O’Connor’s comments, critics of the Indiana law flooded the pizzeria’s Yelp page with negative reviews and inundated the restaurant with phone calls, pushing the owners to shut down the restaurant.
Despite the negative response to the O’Connor family’s comments, Chrystal O’Connor told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto on Thursday that the restaurant will reopen eventually. O’Connor said she wasn’t sure when the pizzeria will open its doors again.
“I’m still shaken over this,” she said, explaining that she would have to answer the phones and serve customers. “I’m not ready to face that yet.”
In her original comments, O’Connor said that gay people were welcome in the pizzeria, but that Memories Pizza could not serve a gay wedding. Cavuto asked her why she drew that line.
“It is not a sin that we bring gays into our establishment and just serve them. It is a sin, though, if we cater their wedding. We feel we are participating. We’re putting a stamp of approval on their wedding. And we cannot do that,” O’Connor responded. “It’s not at all hateful. We show no hatred toward them.”
In response to the backlash against O’Connor’s comments, Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze TV network launched a crowdfunding campaign for Memories Pizza, which has raised nearly $140,000. O’Connor told Cavuto that she was grateful for the support.
Watch the interview below via Fox News:
