The Gay British Bake-off

Apr 30, 2018 by Jill

by Laura Perrins, The Conservative Woman:

Can a private person use the power of the state to compel you to endorse a political statement you profoundly disagree with? That is the question before the UK Supreme Court tomorrow, sitting for the first time in Northern Ireland.

It will not be framed that way. Instead it will be framed as ‘a Christian couple wanting to discriminate against a gay man in refusing to bake a cake’.

Colin and Karen McArthur own Ashers Baking Co in Belfast and are practising Christians. Gareth Lee, a gay man, placed an order with the bakery for a cake decorated with the words ‘Support gay marriage’ (which is still not lawful in Northern Ireland). Mr and Mrs McArthur refused the order because they regard gay marriage as sinful and they run a ‘Christian business’.

Lord Pannick QC summarises the issues here: ‘The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal held that Mr Lee had been unlawfully discriminated against on the ground of sexual orientation, contrary to the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006. When a person offers goods, services or facilities to the public, for example through a shop or a hotel, the law imposes a duty not to discriminate on prohibited grounds such as race, sex, religion or sexual orientation. This has been the law in the UK (and the US) for decades, although the prohibited grounds have expanded over time.

‘The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal held that the owners of a cake shop are entitled to oppose same-sex marriage. But if they wish to operate a public business, their right to the exercise of their religion cannot take priority over the right of others not to be discriminated against on protected grounds.’

In other words, they are entitled to oppose same-sex marriage apart from the occasions when private citizens with the backing of the State demand that they do explicitly support gay marriage. When that happens, the State will threaten them with financial ruin unless they conform.

Read here

If Ashers loses in the Supreme Court this week, we all lose by Fionola Meredith, Belfast Telegraph