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Time Magazine Leaves Out Important Fact In Story Of Indiana Pizzeria Closing

Derek Hunter Contributor
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In covering the story of tiny Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, being forced to close its doors, Time magazine left out an important fact: the reason behind the closing.

Since ABC 57 News aired a story by reporter Alyssa Marino, Memories has been flooded with death threats.

Despite the fact that Memories had never been asked to cater a gay wedding, Time titled its story, “Indiana’s ‘No Gay Wedding’ Pizzeria Has Closed.”

Time’s Kevin McSpadden writes, “The Walkerton, Ind., pizza parlor is the first business since Indiana passed the highly controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act to publicly cite religious beliefs as justification to refuse a service to the LGBT community.”

Only the restaurant didn’t. The owners said they would serve anyone — gay, straight, glowing in the dark — who came into their small shop, but that they would decline to cater a gay wedding because they believe it would force them to violate their religious beliefs.

Rather than cite the thousands of death threats, Time writes Memories closed its doors because it was “embroiled in a national debate after its owners said they would not cater gay weddings because of their religious beliefs.”

Time did quote co-owner Crystal O’Connor saying, “I don’t know if we will reopen, or if we can, if it’s safe to reopen. We’re in hiding basically, staying in the house.”

What Time didn’t bother to explain was why they were in hiding, or why it might not be safe to reopen.