Bolstered by financial support from across the world, Memories Pizza will once again open its doors.
The Indiana Pizzeria closed temporarily after coming under fire after owner Crystal O’Connor, said she wouldn’t cater a gay wedding in response to the the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
“I wasn’t trying to score points. It is something I believe in from my heart and my faith about gay weddings. But I don’t regret what I said,” O’Connor tells the Daily Mail. “I have been scared, but God is giving me strength. I think it is nothing compared to what Christ had to suffer.”
When O’Connor’s statement went viral, threats came through social media and other sources, one so credible that police stepped up their patrols.
Supporters for O’Connor and her father, Bill, as well as traditional marriage and religious freedom, raised more than $800,000 for the pizzeria.
In response to the campaign, investigative reporter Lawrence B. Jones spoke to the Washington Post about what the financial support means.
“It’s not a gay or a straight issue. We love our gay brothers and sisters,” he says. “We’re sick of being regulated when it comes to free enterprise. What better way to speak out than giving your own personal money?”
And so back into business the O’Connors go.
The Daily Mail reports the O’Connors will share their money with Barronelle Stutzman, as well as disabled children and a women’s group, among others.
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