Lotus Black, owner of Black Blossom Bakery in Springfield, first realized they could use their baking and art as activism after President Donald Trump won re-election to a ’second term in 2024. 

Black painted Trump’s face on a sugar cookie, and smashed it with a mallet on camera for their 19,000 Facebook followers. 

Black says they feared posting content as a queer disabled person — not the kind of person, Black believes, the Trump administration wants to see thrive.  

“I would rather be loud and advocate for them and make it more normal for people to speak out than to just keep hiding,” Black says.

Earlier this year, Black found themself asked to put another right-winger’s face on a baked good.

On Sept. 25, Black shared a screenshot on Facebook of an order the bakery received for a cake featuring an image of Charlie Kirk, along with an American flag, a cross with the words “God,” “family,” and “country.” 

Two weeks earlier, on Sept. 10, a gunman shot and killed Kirk, a conservative political activist, podcaster and media personality, while he spoke to a crowd at Utah Valley University.

“You couldn’t pay me enough to make a cake like this,” Black wrote back in a DM to the person ordering the cake. “Not even for $1M. There’s zero chance a cake with that shit stain on it would ever exist in my presence, let alone be made by me. Absolutely not.”

Black got their start making cakes for friends with dietary restrictions. After being convinced to sell their creations, friends started buying, then friends of friends. Black began decorating cookies on camera and had a few videos go viral. 

Since starting Black Blossom Bakery, Black has created clitoris and menstruation cookies, cookies for lesbian marriages, and donated treats to various causes, including DAISY Chain, a local nonprofit assisting pregnant people and new parents.

In hindsight, Black says, the requester probably knew Black would turn down the request and spark a reaction. Black suspects the requester was looking for a way to gain publicity and claim discrimination.

“It’s my right as a business owner to turn down cakes that I don’t want to make, “Black says. “I’m not discriminating against any group, just Charlie Kirk. And last I checked, podcasters are not a protected class.”

Black initially shared the Kirk cake order and their reaction on Facebook. Then the hate messages started coming in. 

On Oct.3, David Medina, a conservative influencer and podcast host, got wind of Black’s post and made a video for his 220,000 Instagram followers. 

Medina compared Black’s case to the 2013 case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in which the cake shop refused to make a cake for a gay couple. That case ruled in favor of Masterpiece Cake Shop, stating that “the Colorado law at issue in this case, which prohibited discrimination against gay people in purchasing products and services, had to be applied in a neutral manner with regard to religion.”

After that, the messages to Black turned into threats. 

“People were threatening to drag me out of my house and hang me,” Black says. “People were talking about burning my house down where I live with my children. They found my address online and were posting it around. People were cheering.”

As of Nov. 11, that video has over 12,000 likes. In another post, Black didn’t back down but offered an explanation and apology to people misunderstanding their views. “[T]o everyone whose feelings I hurt, I am sorry for allowing you to get comfortable here. I am deeply sorry that I wasn’t more clear about my values more often, and that I wasn’t clear about what I will and will not tolerate on this page, in my inbox and in my community.” 

[Editor’s note: Earlier this year, Medina and other right-wing social media influencers targeted Eugene Weekly for a cover depicting a trans staffer, also leading to threats.]

In response to the threats, Black had in-depth discussions with their two kids about what was happening. Their 19-year-old went with Black to deliver cakes to avoid being at home alone, and they talked to their younger son’s teacher about what was going on. Black counseled their kids that the people sending threats wanted them to engage, and what they should do if they recognize a dangerous situation online or in person.

Black gets noticed while grocery shopping and walking around town. They have to take a beat and decide if the person recognizing them is safe to interact with. 

Neighbors and friends continue to stand up for Black, checking on their house and kids. 

“The beautiful thing that happened for me,” Black says, “actually talking about what was happening and telling people what was happening, is that all of my neighbors came together and were like, ‘we’re going to help you, you know, we’re going to protect you.”  

One supporter is Emily Chappell, owner of The Sparrow & Serpent Pub. In October 2022, Chappell hosted a Drag Queen Storytime Event at the Pub. That event featured an 11-year-old drag performer and was met with armed protesters with assault weapons, Chappell says. She says her experience was emotionally exhausting, and she felt the need to shield the performers — drag queens — from the hate and threats. 

Chappell says Black supported her at the time, and she’s trying to return the support. 

Chappell says it’s essential to support minority-owned businesses financially. Black’s need to shut down their social media caused a hit to the bakery’s earnings. 

“Having the loving support of your community is wonderful, but it doesn’t pay the bills,”  Chappell says.  “So I would say, vote with your money, make sure that you know what the business feels that you’re supporting.”

On Nov. 5, Black uploaded their first video in a Cults, Crime & Cookies series on YouTube where they decorate cookies while telling their audience stories about a cult. They are also raising money and gathering food donations for those impacted by the SNAP cuts. 

“I might as well do something to fight, even if it’s just something basic like feeding people,” Black says. “I don’t want to let them win.”

Black Blossom Bakery is currently taking orders through Facebook.com/BlackBlossomBakery or through email LotusBlackCreations@gmail.com.