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Evangelist Claims He Was Wrongly Portrayed in Bakery “Gay Marriage” Controversy

The Arizona evangelist says an Orlando-area bakery wouldn't make a cake that said "we do not support gay marriage."

An Arizona evangelist who has sparked a whirlwind of controversy with his phone call to an Orlando-area bakery says he's being wrongly portrayed as "anti-gay."

Cut the Cake bakery, in Longwood, tells NBC affiliate WESH it has lost business and faced harassment since last week when evangelist Joshua Feuerstein posted a video of the bakery owner refusing to make a cake that said, "We do not support gay marriage."

Feuerstein talked to WESH 2 News via Skype on Tuesday and said he opposes same-sex marriage, but he has no hatred for the LGBT community.

He said his goal was to show that those on both sides of the issue should have the freedom to refuse service when it conflicts with their beliefs.

"We wanted to see if a pro-LGBT bakery would bake a cake for something that it was opposed to, what they believed in, and you know what, I actually believe that Cut the Cake has every right as an American to refuse to print that on a cake. But now, of course, the news story all across the nation is that I'm a bigot and a homophobe," he said.

As for the impact of Feuerstein's phone call on the baker, he said he quickly removed the posting when he learned that the owners were being harassed.

The bakery owner said she may pursue criminal charges against Feuerstein for recording the phone call without her consent.

It is illegal in the state of Florida to record a phone conversation without the knowledge of both parties. It is not known if Feuerstein taped his conversation with the bakery without informing them.

A GoFundMe account for the bakery has brought in over $14,000 to cover its losses.

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