Scott Shackford on Gay Marriage, Anti-Discrimination Laws, and Free Speech

Gay couples across America are planning their nuptials, ordering wedding invitations, renting out reception halls, choosing color schemes, arguing over seating charts, and deciding how many tiers their wedding cakes should have. Some, though, have encountered a barrier: Not every wedding-focused business is interested in celebrating their love.

The photogenic wedding cake, with its instantly recognizable toppers in the shapes of brides and grooms, has become the go-to symbol for this latest front in the culture war, though florists, photographers, and wedding venues have also turned same-sex couples away and wound up embroiled in legal battles as a result. From Reason's August/September issue, Scott Shackford surveys the rapidly evolving fight over gay marriage, anti-discrimination laws, and free speech.