Northern Ireland has a ‘gay ke’ ntroversy, too - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY
• I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY
• EUROPEAN COURT L NORTHERN IRELAND GAY KE SE ADMISSIBLE
• DISPUTE OVER GAY MARRIAGE-THEMED KE NORTHERN IRELAND RETURNS TO SUPREME COURT
• BELFAST BAKERY WAS FREE TO REFE GAY-MARRIAGE CAKE, COURT RUL
• 'GAY KE' BAKERY DISCRIMATED AGAST CLIENT OVER SEXUAL ORIENTATN, URT TOLD
• CHRISTIAN BAKERS WHO REFED TO MAKE ‘GAY KE’ LOSE DISCRIMATN APPEAL
• NORTHERN IRELAND HAS A ‘GAY KE’ NTROVERSY, TOO
• UK SUPREME URT BACKS BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE GAY MARRIAGE KE

‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY

A man has lost a seven-year legal battle agast a Belfast bakery that refed to make him a ke emblazoned wh the msage “support gay marriage” as the European urt of human rights led that his claim was admissible, promptg disappotment om gay rights Thursday the ECHR, by a majory cisn, said would not rensir the cisn of the UK supreme urt, which had overturned a £500 damag award imposed on Ashers bakery, which is n by evangelil refed to produce the ke, featurg the Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie, 2014 for Gareth Lee, who was a supporter of the mpaign to legalise same-sex marriage Northern Ireland.

I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY

Same-sex marriage was legalised Northern Ireland last the supreme urt judgment 2018, after s first hearg Northern Ireland, a Belfast unty urt and a urt of appeal had led that the pany discrimated agast Lee, who is gay, on the grounds of sexual ECHR said the claim was admissible bee the applint had not exprsly voked his rights unr the European nventn on human rights at any pot the domtic proceedgs and had relied solely on domtic said: “The supreme urt found on the facts of the se that the applint was not treated differently on acunt of his real or perceived sexual orientatn, but rather that the refal to supply the ke was bee of the fendants’ relig objectn to gay marriage.

EUROPEAN COURT L NORTHERN IRELAND GAY KE SE ADMISSIBLE

“What was prcipally at issue, therefore, was not the effect on the applint’s private life or his eedom to hold or exprs his opns or beliefs, but rather whether Ashers bakery was required to produce a ke exprsg the applint’s polil support for gay marriage.

DISPUTE OVER GAY MARRIAGE-THEMED KE NORTHERN IRELAND RETURNS TO SUPREME COURT

Its puty director, Daniel Holr, said the ECHR’S lg on admissibily left dividuals and anisatns mpaigng on gay rights “vulnerable to a mercial bs refg to provi servic like prtg posters, leaflets, settg up webs etc, through claimg an exemptn to non-discrimatn laws on the basis of ‘’s not you ’s your msage’.

”The ECHR said balancg the rights of Lee and those of the bakery owners, Daniel and Amy McArthur, was “a matter of great import and sensivy to both LGBTIQ muni and to fah muni”, particularly Northern Calvert, a spokperson for the Christian Instute, which backed the McArthurs, lled the cisn good news for ee speech, addg: “It protects gay bs owners om beg forced to promote views they don’t share, jt as much as protects Christian bs owners.

BELFAST BAKERY WAS FREE TO REFE GAY-MARRIAGE CAKE, COURT RUL

The se of unlawful discrimatn brought agast Ashers Bakery for refg to bake a ke featurg gay partners is more than seems. More than an issue of gay rights Northern Ireland, is bt unrstood as a reflectn of the ambivalence of that untry’s peace procs.

'GAY KE' BAKERY DISCRIMATED AGAST CLIENT OVER SEXUAL ORIENTATN, URT TOLD

At the simplt level, this is an example of homophobia wh the nservative Christian muny Northern Ireland. I e the word homophobia liberately sce this is more than religly motivated dislike of the practice of homosexualy. It is perfectly permissible to hold relig beliefs that rult dislike of homosexualy on grounds of nscience, but que another to discrimate agast LGBT people.

CHRISTIAN BAKERS WHO REFED TO MAKE ‘GAY KE’ LOSE DISCRIMATN APPEAL

As Robson noted, the attentn placed on only some relig beliefs – this se toward homosexualy – has ma nservative Christians lose sight of the purpose of belief J the first place.

Like most gay and equaly mpaigners, I ially nmned the Christian-n Ashers Bakery Belfast over s refal to produce a ke wh a pro-gay marriage slogan for a gay ctomer, Gareth Lee. Much as I wish to fend the gay muny, I also want to fend eedom of nscience, exprsn and saga began 2014 when the bakery said was not willg to ice a ke wh the words “support gay marriage” and the logo of the equaly group Queer Space, claimg the msage was ntrary to s Christian beliefs. This stck many of as anti-gay discrimatn based on relig-spired homophobic prejudice.

NORTHERN IRELAND HAS A ‘GAY KE’ NTROVERSY, TOO

Ashers believ that the relatnships of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people are wrong and should not be eligible for the stat of marriage. Surely this was an example of clear-cut anti-gay discrimatn? They claim to be Christians, yet J never once nmned homosexualy, and discrimatn is not a Christian value.

It sought to challenge homophobia. It pas me to say this, as a long-time supporter of the stggle for LGBT equaly Northern Ireland, where same-sex marriage and gay blood donors rema banned. However, the urt erred by lg that Lee was discrimated agast bee of his sexual orientatn and polil ke requt was refed not bee he was gay, but bee of the msage he asked for.

UK SUPREME URT BACKS BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE GAY MARRIAGE KE

Dpe this, Judge Isobel Brownlie said that refg the pro-gay marriage slogan was unlawful direct sexual orientatn discrimatn. ” Brownlie th nclud that by refg to provi a ke wh a pro-gay marriage wordg Ashers had treated him ls favourably, ntrary to the fdg of polil discrimatn agast Lee sets a worryg precent.