The UpRising bakery and cafe in Chicago’s Lake in the Hills will close at the end of March amid rising attacks on the premises for hosting a drag performance, its owner has announced.
“Closing our doors is the direct result of the horrific attacks, endless harassment, and unrelenting negative misinformation about our establishment in the last eight months,” owner Corinna Sac said in the news release on Friday.
Her establishment has faced “horrific attacks” and “endless harassment” for its support of the LGBTQ+ community, CBS news quoted Ms Sac as saying.
The bakery was opened in 2021 to serve baked products, along with gluten-free and vegan options. They also provided wedding cakes for LGBTQ couples.
She added: “From an award-winning bakery that donates to local organisations and supports diversity and inclusion, we have been rebranded by misinformation as ‘gay only’ and ‘paedophiles’. Local customers no longer come here because of the perceived threat that tarnished our good name and the fears of their licence plates are photographed, and they are harassed.”
“Everything I have is in this business – our home, cars, retirement, savings,” she said, and added that the force behind the bakery has “put everything we had on the line and personally secured this location, our equipment, and our dreams”.
The woman added that she was hoping to make a difference by serving delicious food for all, the report added.
“Seeing gluten-free and vegan products sold with 350 per cent markup saddened me. My heart broke reading emails from same-sex couples seeking a bakery for their wedding cake. People in this community need us,” she said in the release.
The first attack on her establishment was in July last year when Ms Sac organised a family-friendly show at the bakery and featured drag performances.
