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
• I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY
• WHAT IS THE GAY CAKE ROW?: THE LEE VS. ASHERS BAKG COMPANY CASE
• ASHERS BAKERY ‘GAY KE’ ROW – ECHR LG WAS RIGHT
• 'GAY KE' ROW: BORN-AGA CHRISTIAN BAKERS LOSE URT APPEAL
• ASHERS BAKERY IN COURT OVER 'GAY' CAKE ROW
• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: EQUALY LAW NNOT HAVE ANY EXCEPTNS, URT TOLD
• ASHERS BAKERY 'GAY KE' ROW BEG BROUGHT TO EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY CTOMERS
• ASHERS ‘GAY KE’ ROW: BAKERY WILL NOT SEEK LEGAL STS

‘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. 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. “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.

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

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’.

WHAT IS THE GAY CAKE ROW?: THE LEE VS. ASHERS BAKG COMPANY CASE

”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.

ASHERS BAKERY ‘GAY KE’ ROW – ECHR LG WAS RIGHT

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.

'GAY KE' ROW: BORN-AGA CHRISTIAN BAKERS LOSE URT APPEAL

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.

ASHERS BAKERY IN COURT OVER 'GAY' CAKE ROW

This stck many of as anti-gay discrimatn based on relig-spired homophobic prejudice. 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?

‘GAY KE’ ROW: EQUALY LAW NNOT HAVE ANY EXCEPTNS, URT TOLD

They claim to be Christians, yet J never once nmned homosexualy, and discrimatn is not a Christian value. It sought to challenge homophobia.

ASHERS BAKERY 'GAY KE' ROW BEG BROUGHT TO EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY CTOMERS

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. 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. Or gay bakers accept orrs for k wh homophobic slurs? The Gay Cake row, also known as the Lee v Ashers Bakg Company se, is a Supreme Court se volvg LGBTQ+ rights activist Gareth Lee and a bakery, Ashers Bakg Company, based Belfast, Northern se has been ongog sce 2014 and has recently seen some velopments.

The Gay Cake row began 2014, when Gareth Lee, an LGBTQ+ rights activist, orred a ke om the Ashers Bakg Company Belfast, Northern Ireland.

ASHERS ‘GAY KE’ ROW: BAKERY WILL NOT SEEK LEGAL STS

Mr Lee was lookg to have a ke ma to celebrate Natnal Day Agast Homophobia and had requted that the ke have a picture of Bert and Ernie, om Same Street, wh the slogan, "Support Gay Marriage", imprted across the top.

A few days later, Mr Lee received a phone ll ditg that the bakery would not plete his orr due to their relig stance on gay marriage. Ashers Bakery ‘gay ke’ row – ECHR lg was right. “If the judgement had gone the other way, a gay baker uld have been forced by law to acce to requts to rate k wh msag opposg LGBT+ equaly.

Instead of the legal se bought by Gareth Lee, Ashers should have been sued for breach of ntract after they refed to rate Gareth’s ke wh his requted msage supportg gay marriage.