HOUSTON, June 11 ― For the occasion of Pride month, a Texas baker decided to create heart-shaped, rainbow cookies for sale. But the initiative was met with outrage from some of the bakery's followers on its social networks. One customer even decided to cancel a large order in reaction to the post. But the cookies and their story on social media also won the bakery thousands of new customers who came to support the business and rally behind the LGBT cause.

It's a story of heart-shaped cookies with rainbow icing that starts innocently enough, in a Texas bakery. Dawn Cooley, a 45-year-old baker, runs a store in the small town of Lufkin, Texas. For Pride month, the baker wanted to show her support to the LGBTQ community with a new creation. She then posted images of the seasonal product on Facebook, with the comment: “More love, less hate. Happy Pride month to all our LGBTQ friends! All lovers of cookies and happiness are welcome here.” Followed by a rainbow emoji and a star emoji.

The baker would never have believed that the case would take such a magnitude. Since its publication a week ago, comments have been unleashed: “homosexuality is a sin,” “this is gay friendly propaganda.” One customer, who had placed an order for 60 items, simply cancelled.”“I was just dumbfounded. I couldn't imagine somebody hating a group of people that much,” Felicia Tetu, an associate of Dawn Cooley, told the Washington Post.

For Dawn, whose store is a tiny structure, the cancellation was a big blow. So the baker took to social media to express her dismay. Rather than give up on supporting the LGBT community, she sent out a message on the networks stating that “an abundance” of the goodies would be available for sale the next day. To her surprise, the buttery treats went like hotcakes. But not only that. To come to the aid of the distressed shopkeeper, members of the public then literally devoured everything in her store, buying every last crumb, the queue in front of the store going around the block. Demand was so great that the baker had to pull an all-nighter to cook and bake all the treats that had been ordered. Proof if any were needed that in the realm of gay-friendly pastries, the rainbow cookie is king. ― ETX Studio

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