Chicago-area bakery to close following ‘horrifying attacks’ and ‘harassment’ for hosting drag show

The UpRising bakery and cafe in Chicago’s Lake in the Hills will close in late March amid growing attacks on the venue for hosting a drag performance, its owner announced.

“The closing of our doors is a direct result of the horrific attacks, endless harassment and relentless negative misinformation about our establishment over the past eight months,” owner Corinna Sac said in the press release Friday.

Her establishment has faced “horrific attacks” and “endless harassment” for supporting the LGBTQ+ community, Ms Sac told CBS News.

The bakery was opened in 2021 to serve baked goods, as well as gluten-free and vegan options. They also provided wedding cakes for LGBTQ couples.

She added: “From an award-winning bakery that donates to local organizations and supports diversity and inclusion, we’ve been rebranded by misinformation as ‘gay only’ and ‘paedophiles’. Local customers don’t come anymore here due to the perceived threat that has tarnished our reputation and fears of their license plates being photographed, and they are being harassed.”

“Everything I have is in this business – our home, our cars, our retirement, our savings,” she said, adding 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 hoped to make a difference by serving delicious food for all, the report added.

“Seeing gluten-free and vegan products sold at a 350% markup saddened me. My heart broke reading emails from same sex couples looking for a bakery for their wedding cake. The people of this community need us,” she said in the statement.

The first attack on her establishment came in July last year when Ms Sac hosted a family show at the bakery and put on drag performances.

This sparked outrage and the day before the event, the attackers smashed the doors and windows of the bakery. Hate messages were also painted on the building.

Ms Sac said her staff and customers visiting the bakery were also attacked. Protesters remained outside UpRising Bakery for days, harassing customers and photographing their license plates, she added in the statement.

She and her children have also received threats on social media, the owner said.

“This was almost a year after the space was used for events without commentary,” Sac said in the statement.

Ms Sac said sales and patronage of the bakery had been hit hard due to constant harassment and vandalism, combined with a lack of support from the local administration.

“Without an infusion of over $30,000, at this time, I cannot keep the doors open to my dream bakery,” she said in the statement, reported. Chicago Sun Hour.

Fundraisers plan to prevent the bakery from closing on March 31 and seek to provide financial support for Ms Sac and her staff, the report adds.