Gay Pastor Admits Whole Foods Anti-Gay Slur Cake Was Hoax, Drops Lawsuit
An openly gay Texas pastor who fabricated a story last month accusing Whole Foods of making him a cake with a homophobic slur on it has withdrawn his lawsuit.
Pastor Jordan Brown of Austin's Church of Open Doors admitted "The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story," the Statesman reported on Monday.
Brown has officially apologized to the store, its employees, his church, and the LGBT community for "diverting attention from real issues."
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In April, Brown claimed that he ordered a specialized cake from a Whole Foods which was supposed to have the phrase "Love Wins" put on its surface with icing.
Brown then claimed that while Whole Foods fulfilled his order, the message placed on the cake also included a homophobic slur.
Brown filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods over the slur. The company, however, denied any wrongdoing and filed a counter-suit the very next day.
Whole Foods also released a video showing surveillance footage that contradicted Brown's claim that a slur was written on the cake.
"The team member wrote 'Love Wins' at the top of the cake as requested by the guest and that's exactly how the cake was packaged and sold at the store," stated Whole Foods.
"Our team members do not accept or design bakery orders that include language or images that are offensive. Whole Foods Market has a zero tolerance policy for discrimination."
Conservative columnist Mollie Hemingway posted an op-ed in The Federalist regarding the controversy, denouncing Brown's claims.
"If you're a gay black progressive in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods is not a credible villain for your cake hoax passion play. Have some common sense," wrote Hemingway.
"Whole Foods is known for selling overpriced kombucha, locally sourced quail eggs, and Buddhist magazines. It's just not believable that their Dallas locations are a hotbed of cartoonish bigotry, much less Austin."
Regarding Brown's decision to discontinue his lawsuit and his apology, Whole Foods released a statement noting that they will also end their litigation of the Austin pastor.
"Given Mr. Brown's apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our counter suit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members," stated Whole Foods on Monday.
