I’ve changed my md on the gay ke row. Here’s why | Peter Tatchell | The Guardian

Contents:

• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY
• GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE
• I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY
• GAY KE
• GAY-OWNED COOKIE COMPANY, WUNRKEKS, IS HEAD FOR THE OSRS!
• CAKE IS HIS ‘ART.’ SO CAN HE DENY ONE TO A GAY COUPLE?
• 'GAY KE' DISCRIMATN PLAT LED 'ADMISSIBLE' AFTER CHRISTIAN-N BAKERY REFED ORR

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

In 2012, the owner of Colorado bakery Masterpiece Cakhop refed to make a ke for a gay uple's weddg receptn — promptg a round of legal challeng that have so far end the uple's favor.

GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE

Another baker Colorado fac a plat om a ctomer allegg relig discrimatn — for refg to wre anti-gay msag on a ke. A weddg ke for a gay uple.

But the ctomer also asked that Silva scribe anti-gay msag, such as "God hat gays, " onto the k and clu an image of two men holdg hands crossed out by a large X. What happened the gay weddg ke se?

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

But Phillips allegedly nied service to a gay uple jt bee of their sexual orientatn.

GAY KE

A gay uple receiv a civil unn license 2013. The state has a non-discrimatn law that protects gay and lbian people om discrimatn public and private plac that are open to the general public, such as rtrants and bakeri.

And Washgton state, a gay uple is sug flower shop Arlene's Flowers for refg to sell floral arrangements to the uple for their weddg. But tradnal weddg k require a specific set of skills and tools to make, leavg some upl to the whims of bakers who may oppose gay or lbian upl' right to marry. 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.

GAY-OWNED COOKIE COMPANY, WUNRKEKS, IS HEAD FOR THE OSRS!

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.

CAKE IS HIS ‘ART.’ SO CAN HE DENY ONE TO A GAY COUPLE?

“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. 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. Some people might dismiss the prcipl at stake the Masterpiece Cakhop se by argug that a gay uple n simply purchase their ke elsewhere. If a pany n refe to sell weddg k to a gay uple on the basis of relig nvictns, n a rtrant also then refe to serve food to a divorcée or an unmarried uple wh a child?

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.

'GAY KE' DISCRIMATN PLAT LED 'ADMISSIBLE' AFTER CHRISTIAN-N BAKERY REFED ORR

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.