Minnesota Bakery Faces Backlash for Promoting Biblical View of Family During Pride Month

June 15, 2026

A Minnesota bakery owner is facing criticism for offering an alternative to pride month and celebrating the biblical model of family life through special doughnut and coffee sales.

Christianity Daily reports that Joshua Streblow, who owns Carl’s Bakery in Granite Falls, Minnesota, said the month-long promotion celebrates “the beauty of God’s design and the beauty of God’s declared word with respect to these designs.”

The bakery announced on Facebook earlier this month that it would offer weekly specials honoring married couples, parents and children and grandparents throughout June in celebration of the nuclear family.

According to Christianity Daily, Carl’s Bakery has received criticism from both within and outside of the local community for its public stances.

Granite Falls resident Melissa Peterson, who serves on the local arts council, questioned the bakery’s motives, saying, “The thing that feels the grossest to me is [that] they stir up a bunch of controversy about it and then they announced their merch. It feels very grifty.”

Streblow clarified that any merchandise sales are intended to give supporters a way to express agreement with the bakery’s message.

The baker owner also stressed that the “Nuclear Family Month” promotion is not intended to condemn or exclude others, adding that the bakery is not casting explicit judgment on anyone.

“The only time you declare one thing to be good, you’re obviously, by implication, saying other things are not,” Streblow said. “But our point is to celebrate this one thing that we think is very, very good.”

He added that the strongest criticism has come from outside the community after the bakery’s promotions gained wider attention online and noted, “The majority of the response we get locally is very supportive.”

Photo: top, Credit: Facebook/Carl’s Bakery