Christian pastor apologises to Whole Foods, withdraws lawsuit over anti-gay cake

A gay pastor who claimed Whole Foods sold him a cake with a homophobic slur written on it has withdrawn his lawsuit and apologised.

Whole Foods staff at its store in Texas, Austin. Whole Foods

In light of his apology, Whole Foods has decided to drop its counter-suit.

Jordan Brown, who is gay and the founder of the non-denominatonal Church of Open Doors,Texas, ordered a cake from the US-based grocery chain and asked for the slogan 'Love Wins' to be written on it. However, he previously claimed he noticed on his way home that an employee had added an offensive word to the lettering.

Brown has apologised to the grocery chain, admitting that Whole Foods did nothing wrong.

"Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong," Brown said in a statement.

He apologised for questioning their values and admitted he "was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story".

The pastor also apologised to the "LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues".

In response to the withdrawal, Whole Foods announced it is dropping its countersuit:

"We're very pleased that the truth has come to light," they said in a statement.

"Given Mr. Brown's apology and public admission that his story was a complete fabrication, we see no reason to move forward with our countersuit to defend the integrity of our brand and team members."

related articles
Christian pastor sues Whole Foods in anti-gay cake row
Christian pastor sues Whole Foods in anti-gay cake row

Christian pastor sues Whole Foods in anti-gay cake row

Whole Foods to counter-sue Christian pastor over anti-gay cake claim
Whole Foods to counter-sue Christian pastor over anti-gay cake claim

Whole Foods to counter-sue Christian pastor over anti-gay cake claim

\'Gay cake\' case: Ashers should not have been found guilty, says Attorney General
'Gay cake' case: Ashers should not have been found guilty, says Attorney General

'Gay cake' case: Ashers should not have been found guilty, says Attorney General

News
Street preacher urges boldness in faith after police encounter
Street preacher urges boldness in faith after police encounter

Such encounters appear to be somewhat determined by the attitude of the individual officer than by the law.

The Newsboys dropped by record label following Tait revelations
The Newsboys dropped by record label following Tait revelations

Tait's bandmates where unaware of "Nashville's worst kept secret".

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being used to target minorities - report 
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are being used to target minorities - report 

A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has raised alarm over the widespread abuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, accusing powerful individuals of using them as a tool for blackmail, forced evictions, and personal enrichment, especially against religious minorities.

Mexico one of 'wokest' countries on earth, repressing free speech
Mexico one of 'wokest' countries on earth, repressing free speech

Defending women's rights apparently makes you a "violator against women" in Mexico.