Settle Before Icing

at

o-GAY-MARRIAGE-570

This afternoon

District Judge Isobel Brownlie told Belfast County Court she wanted to give full consideration to the evidence which was presented over three days.
The judge said: “It is not a straightforward area of the law.Obviously this is a case in which I propose to reserve my judgement.”
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland took the case against Ashers Bakery on behalf of the gay rights activist whose cake order was refused. Ashers is run by the McArthur family, declined the request for a cake with an image of Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie below the motto Support Gay Marriage. It had been ordered for a private function marking International Day Against Homophobia last May.

Judgment reserved in NI cake row case (RTÉ)

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54 thoughts on “Settle Before Icing

  1. FK

    How is it not straightforward? They discriminate against someone on the grounds of their sexuality. Seems straightforward enough to me!

    1. Bob

      Thing is, they didn’t discriminate against the people for their sexuality. They refused to bake a cake with a pro-ssm message. They’d refuse a straight person who asked for the same cake.

      1. Spaghetti Hoop

        And I guess a business can choose what work they decide to do. E.g. Mac-user brings Macbook to ‘computer technician’ who replies to say he/she doesn’t touch Apple products, you can go elsewhere.

        1. Stewart Curry

          Legally, yes, unless they said “I won’t fix your computer because you are gay/divorced/a traveller/over fifty/a woman” or whatever else would breach the equal status act.

        2. ___

          That’s quite different though.
          In your case the technician is saying that they’re not able to do the work because they don’t have the required skills.

          1. Soundings

            So, if you’re getting a massage from a qualified masseuse, and you then ask for a happy ending, and they tell you where to go, even though they’re able to give you a happy ending, would you sue them for discrimination?

          2. Spaghetti Hoop

            I was suggesting the technicians DID have the skills but disliked the product, or didn’t want their business to be associated with Apple. This analogy probably doesn’t stand up for long when compared with this case.

            Every company should have a Customer Charter – no hiding behind that.

    1. Bob

      Did they not officially come out a couple of years ago (as in the producers announced that they were gay, not that the actual puppets came to life and out of the closet. Coming to life would have gotten more press)?

      1. Stewart Curry

        No, the opposite. They said they weren’t a couple, but were best friends who could get along despite being very different.

        1. figleaf

          ‘were best friends, who could get along despite being very different’
          The majority of the human popualtion could learn a thing or two by living in the same way.

    2. Ultravox

      Then main instigator is an activist. It’s a total PR setup and this company was picked on. Again, the gay stasi actively sought out and created a situation that denied others the rights and freedoms that the gay community themselves cherish.

      Well, if they don’t like it, well they know where they can go – right onto the Miriam O’Callaghan show next week.

      Well done. Al least Catholics and Protestants will unite against this kind of denial of freedom of belief.

      Funny there was never any danger anyone would want to bake a cake in favour of the McBride principles over the last 40 years or so.

      1. Bob

        If you want to be taken seriously, I’d suggest leaving out phrases like “gay stassi”. It makes you sound like a card carrying Iona member, and as such a person to be ignored.

      1. Stewart Curry

        They are called Dec and Ant in countries where people read right to left. Ant ALWAYS stands to the right of Dec to help you remember who is who. In left-to-right reading countries (like the UK), you see Ant first because you read left to right – Ant and Dec. So they go by “Ant and Dec” But if you were in the UAE or Isreal or wherever, you read starting from the right, so you’d see Dec first, so that’s why they go by Dec and Ant. They used to swap sides but this way worked out cheaper and made Dec feel better.

  2. Eamonn Clancy

    I’d love someone to ask a pro equality baker to bake an “all gays will burn in hell” cake.

    1. Tony

      Ah Eamonn. That reductio doesn’t work at all. Discrimination is not the same as incitement to hatred. Although if the ‘ all gays will burn in hell’ cake was maybe a hilarious ironic skit commissioned by a gay person for the wedding anniversary of the resolutely homophobic parents of their partner. Or maybe a promotional cake for the opening of a new gay club called L’inferno or something.

      Jays you’ve opened s can of worms there actually Eamonn

    2. Seriously

      Not really equivalent though. It’s not like they asked for a “All Priest are Peados” or an “Abort All Babies” cake.

      You could ask a pro equality baker to bake a ‘Vote No cause Mary says so!’ cake with a picture of the Madonna on it, I guess….

      1. Soundings

        But how about asking a gay baker to print this message

        “If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. (NKJ, Leviticus 20:13)”

        Shure if it’s in the Bible, how could they refuse?

        1. Mrtits

          Poor oul Soundings. Saw yer happy endings post above and now this. Angry little fella but not the sharpest apple in the pencil case.

  3. Ciarán

    Can we just cut and paste all the comments from the last time this kind of thing happened, and move onto commenting on the next post up?

  4. Anomanomanom

    What’s the problem here. They wouldn’t bake a cake, big deal. Go somewhere else. If it was just because they hate gay people I’d be all for persecution, but if it is for their religious beliefs (even if it’s wrong) just forget about it on move on.

    1. newsjustin

      It’s about disliking the political slogan (and it’s message) rather than hating gay people. I have no doubt any gay person who wanted a cake from them would be more than welcome – just not one that promotes a political agenda they’re not comfortable with.

      1. Kieran NYC

        Oh so their religious beliefs mean they’d be grand taking money off second-class citizen sinners, eh? Because that’s not hypocritical at all.

        Wonderful thing, bigotry wrapped up in religion.

  5. Mr. T.

    Highly offended gay drama. The whole thing is ridiculous and most gay people would think so.

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