'Gay ke' row: born-aga Christian bakers lose urt appeal | Northern Ireland | The Guardian

Contents:

• ASHERS 'GAY KE' SE: EUROPEAN URT L SE ADMISSIBLE
• 'GAY KE' ROW: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
• I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY
• ASHERS BAKG COMPANY: 'GAY KE' ROW ULD END UP URT
• 'GAY KE' ROW: BORN-AGA CHRISTIAN BAKERS LOSE URT APPEAL
• 'GAY KE' BAKERY DISCRIMATED AGAST CLIENT OVER SEXUAL ORIENTATN, URT TOLD
• BAKERY THAT REFED TO BAKE KE WH GAY SLOGAN LOS N. IRELAND SE
• 'GAY KE': ASHERS BAKERY SE HEARD AT SUPREME COURT
• UK SUPREME URT BACKS BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE GAY MARRIAGE KE
• BERT AND ERNIE GAY MARRIAGE KE REFED BY NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERY
• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY
• EUROPEAN URT CL TO TAKE PRO-GAY MARRIAGE KE SE
• GAY MARRIAGE KE: CTOMER TAK SE TO EUROPEAN URT
• NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERS GUILTY OF DISCRIMATN OVER GAY MARRIAGE KE
• EUROPEAN COURT L NORTHERN IRELAND GAY KE SE ADMISSIBLE
• CHRISTIAN BAKERY OWNERS W APPEAL ‘GAY KE’ SE
• EUROPEAN URT L FAVOR OF CHRISTIAN BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE KE SUPPORTG GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE KE ROW REACH UK'S SUPREME URT BELFAST
• EUROPEAN URT WON'T LE ON 'GAY KE' SE VOLVG NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERY

ASHERS 'GAY KE' SE: EUROPEAN URT L SE ADMISSIBLE

Image ptn, Gareth Lee sued Christian-n Ashers bakery for refg to make a ke rated wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage"A gay rights activist has lost a seven-year discrimatn dispute over a ke orr as the European Court of Human Rights led his se Lee started legal actn back 2014 after a Christian-n Belfast bakery refed to make him a ke wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" fay firm Ashers said the slogan ntravened their Christian European urt led Mr Lee's se admissible, sayg he had failed to exhst all optns the UK Belfast man has long argued that by refg to fulfil his orr, the bakery had discrimated agast him on grounds of his sexual orientatn and polil Lee then took his se to the European Court of Human Rights, where was examed by seven judg who cid, by majory, that should be long-nng dispute has raised qutns about relig eedom and discrimatn their lg on Thursday, the judg said the se was admissible bee Mr Lee had not voked his rights unr the European Conventn of Human Rights "at any pot the domtic proceedgs" the UK judg cid that orr for a plat to be admissible, "the Conventn arguments mt be raised explicly or substance before the domtic thori" ptn, BBC News NI looks at the key dat the "gay ke" se"By relyg solely on domtic law, the applint had prived the domtic urts of the opportuny to addrs any Conventn issu raised, stead askg the urt to urp the role of the domtic urts.

The se began 2014, when Mr Lee vised a Belfast branch of Ashers Bakery, and asked them to bake a ke rated wh the gay marriage source, Getty Image/Charl McQuillanImage ptn, Gareth Lee said he was trated that the se had been dismissed on a "technily"At the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal Northern Ireland, but the law has sce changed and same-sex weddgs have been takg place sce Febary ke Mr Lee requted was to feature an image of Bert and Ernie, two characters om the children's TV programme Same Street, and the logo of the mpaign group, Lee paid £36. 50 for a ke and left the shop, but a few days later, bakery staff lled him to say they uld not plete the orr bee of the slogan and would refund his Bakg Company is n by the McArthurs, a Christian fay om County Lee said the cisn to refe his orr had ma him feel "unworthy" and a "lser person" plaed to the Equaly Commissn for Northern Ireland, who supported him takg a discrimatn se agast the fought the se, argug they had not turned Mr Lee's ctom away bee he was gay, but bee he had asked them to produce somethg that was ntrary to their relig is the European Court of Human Rights? It was disappotg to see another attempt to unrme those rights, so is a relief that the attempt has failed, " Mr Calvert source, Getty Imag/Leon NealImage ptn, Amy and Daniel McArthur photographed after their UK Supreme Court victory 2018However, the Rabow Project, a Belfast-based gay rights mpaign group, said the UK Supreme urt cisn had created legal uncertaty for LGBT people when accsg goods and servic and Thursday's ECHR lg had not rolved that uncertaty.

"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, " he ptn, Gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell said he had great sympathy for Gareth Lee but that he did not believe Ashers had discrimated agast him"I support protts agast Ashers over their hostily to LGBT+ equaly but I nnot endorse legal pulsn to require them to promote a msage wh which they profoundly disagree.

'GAY KE' ROW: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?

The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed a legal challenge a long-nng dispute known as the "gay ke" se, lg the actn ECHR is the latt urt to have s say the long-nng all started 2014, when a bakery Northern Ireland refed to make a ke wh a slogan supportg same-sex 's a look at how the se reached Strasbourg:What about the bakery? He had wanted them to make a ke that clud a slogan that said "support gay marriage" along wh a picture of Bert and Ernie om Same Street, and the logo of the Queerspace the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal Northern Ireland, but the law has sce changed and same-sex weddgs have been takg place sce Febary ke was beg missned for a civic event Bangor, County Down, to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and at the bakery passed the orr to s head office, which nsired to be "at odds" wh their beliefs. Durg the heargs, a lawyer for the bakery argued the issue was "the ke, not the ctomer" of the bakers, Karen McArthur, said she did not know Mr Lee was gay and would not have mattered as they would not have been prepared to make a ke wh a pro-same-sex marriage slogan for anyone.

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.

Media ptn, The firm's general manager, Daniel McArthur, rerd a statement which the Christian Instute posted onleA Christian-n bakery that refed a ctomer's requt to make a ke wh a slogan supportg gay marriage uld face a discrimatn se Bakg Company cled an orr om a gay rights activist, askg for ke featurg the Same Street puppets, Bert and ctomer also wanted the ke to feature the logo of a Belfast-based mpaign group lled "Queerspace" County Antrim firm uld face legal actn om the Equaly watchdog nfirmed is assistg the ctomer whose orr was refed and has wrten to the bakg pany on his ke was orred for a civic event Bangor Castle Town Hall, County Down, to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia.

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

Christian beliefsThe bakery, which was found Newtownabbey 1992, is n by the McArthur directors, who are Christians, operate six shops Northern Ireland and employ 62 firm's 24-year-old general manager, Daniel McArthur, said marriage Northern Ireland "still is fed as beg a unn between one man and one woman" and said his pany was takg "a stand" source, AllianceImage ptn, The ke was orred for an Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia event, hosted by Alliance uncillor Andrew Muir, who said another bakery accepted the orrThe ctomer placed the orr Ashers' Belfast branch a number of weeks ago, and was then passed to their head an onle statement, Mr McArthur said: "The directors and myself looked at and nsired and thought that this orr was at odds wh our beliefs.

ASHERS BAKG COMPANY: 'GAY KE' ROW ULD END UP URT

"Gav Boyd, a gay rights mpaigner wh the Rabow Project Northern Ireland, also supported the ctomer's discrimatn ptn, Rabow Project's Gav Boyd said the issue was not about same sex marriage but the provisn of goods, facili and servic"It is bee of sexual orientatn that the pany cid not to prt this, " Mr Boyd told BBC Rad Ulster. A bakery Northern Ireland owned by evangelil Christians has lost an appeal to overturn a nvictn that found guilty of discrimatn for refg to bake a pro-gay-marriage themed urt of appeal Belfast on Monday upheld a prev judgment last year that Ashers Bakery had discrimated agast a ctomer on the grounds of sexual fay-owned firm the origal se was also orred to pay £500 pensatn to the lol gay rights activist Gareth Lee, whose legal actn was backed by the Equaly Commissn for Northern had tried to buy a ke pictg the Same Street characters Bert and Ernie below the motto ‘Support gay marriage’ for an event to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia Ashers se has received ternatnal attentn, and highlighted the tensns between gay rights reformers and the polilly fluential and socially nservative born-aga Christian lobby wh Northern three appeal judg on Monday were Northern Ireland’s lord chief jtice, Sir Declan Man, and Lord Jtic Weathep and liverg their judgment, Man rejected the argument of lawyers for Daniel McArthur and his fay that the bakery would have been endorsg gay marriage equaly by bakg the ke.

The party has nsistently blocked proposals the assembly om other parti cludg their ma partners ernment, Sn Fé, to legalise gay a four-day hearg at the urt of appeal Belfast earlier this year, lawyers for the McArthur fay said they challenged the fdg bee their ey would have been sful for them to plete the their legal battle to overturn the lg, the McArthur fay won the support of Northern Ireland’s attorney general, John Lark the hearg May, the attorney general argued urt that the McArthur fay was entled to nstutnal protectn for turng down a ctomer’s orr based on their personal relig beliefs. The bakery ially accepted the orr but 48 hours later hand back the payment to Lee, who had asked for a ke featurg the Same Street puppets Bert and had orred to mark last year’s electn of the first openly gay mayor Northern Ireland as well as to ci wh Internatnal Day agast Homophobia last said should have been obv to Ashers that the person makg the requt for an iced pro-gay marriage slogan was gay himself.

Image ptn, The ke was orred four years ago by gay rights activist Gareth LeeThe owners of a Northern Ireland bakery found to have discrimated for refg to make a "gay ke" were forced to act agast their relig beliefs, the Supreme Court has Bakery is challengg the lg over s cisn not to make a ke iced wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" for activist Gareth Lee. "Mr and Mrs McArthur have been penalised by the state, the form of the judgment at the unty urt, for failg through their fay pany to create and provi a product bearg an explic slogan 'Support Gay Marriage' to which they have a genue objectn source, AFPImage ptn, Ashers owner Daniel McArthur has argued that the ke's msage was agast their relig views"They would equally have refed to provi that ke wh the slogan to a heterosexual ctomer.

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

Tuday marks the latt legal chapter the long-nng se that began May 2014 when the orr was placed at an Ashers shop Belfast by Gareth Lee, a gay rights refed to bake the ke but was later found to have discrimated agast Mr barrister, Rob Allen QC, said he "knew nothg at all" about Mr and Mrs McArthur's relig beliefs when he placed the Allen listed a range of imag which Ashers had advertised on a flier that would ice on k, cludg a wch for Halloween, a photograph of a person or "a picture of Larne Ladi Football Club". A Belfast bakery n by evangelil Christians was not obliged to make a ke emblazoned wh the msage “support gay marriage”, the supreme urt has led, overturng a £500 damag award imposed on unanimo cisn by the UK’s hight urt was greeted as a victory for ee speech but nmned by gay rights groups and the Equaly Commissn of Northern Ireland as a backward step batg had refed to produce the ke, featurg the Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie, 2014 for Gareth Lee, who supports the mpaign to legalise same-sex marriage Northern Ireland. He wanted to take to a private functn markg Internatnal Day Agast judgment, livered after the supreme urt’s first hearg Northern Ireland May, revers earlier cisns Belfast unty urt and a urt of appeal lg that the pany discrimated agast Lee, who is gay, on the grounds of sexual five jtic on the supreme urt – Lady Hale, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Hodge and Lady Black – found the bakery did not refe to fulfil Lee’s orr bee of his sexual orientatn and therefore there was no discrimatn on those grounds.

A Northern Ireland bakery n by vout Christians uld face legal actn after refed to make a gay-themed ke pictg the Same Street uple Bert and Bakg Company published a statement on s webse fendg s cisn to refe to bake the ke as the slogan above the puppets was support of gay marriage. Northern Ireland's first openly gay mayor, Andrew Muir, has backed legal actn agast the bakery, sayg bs should not be able to pick and choose who they s statement, the firm's general manager, Daniel McArthur, said: "The directors and myself looked at and nsired and thought that this orr was at odds wh our beliefs. 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.

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

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. Refed to make the ke Lee Bakg Belfast, Northern Lawls / PA via APThe owners argued they were happy to bake goods for anyone but would not put msag on their products at odds wh their Christian said he was trated the se was thrown out on what he lled “a technily” and said that eedom of exprsn “mt equally apply to lbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.

BAKERY THAT REFED TO BAKE KE WH GAY SLOGAN LOS N. IRELAND SE

Belfast human rights law firm Phoenix Law nfirmed on Thursday had been stcted by Gareth Lee to take his se to the European urt of human rights (ECHR) was told by Ashers bakery 2014 that would not make a ke wh the msage “Support Gay Marriage” on bee was ntrary to the owners’ relig years later the supreme urt reversed earlier cisns at Belfast unty urt and urt of appeal that Ashers had discrimated agast Lee on the grounds of him beg judg on the supreme urt, which 2018 sat for the first time Northern Ireland, found that the bakery did not refe Lee’s orr bee of his sexual orientatn.

They led therefore that there was no discrimatn on those Lee’s legal team are now argug the ECHR that the supreme urt lg should be overturned bee bakg the ke did not imply “the bakery supportg (exprsly or implicly) the msage of the ke” lawyers ntend that no reasonable person would equate producg the ke for an dividual private ctomer wh the bakery supportg the pro-gay marriage msage on . “The bakers uld not refe to supply their goods to Mr Lee bee he was a gay man or supported gay marriage, but that is que different om obligg them to supply a ke iced wh a msage wh which they profoundly disagreed, ” the five judg the ntroversy first flared up, Northern Ireland was still the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage was not regnised law.

A Northern Ireland bakery has been found guilty a landmark lg of discrimatn for refg to bake a ke wh a pro-gay marriage Bakg Company received worldwi support om evangelil and born-aga Christians over s refal to make the ke for a lol gay rights activist the a judge Belfast high urt on Tuday led that the fay-owned firm was guilty of discrimatg agast Gareth Lee on the grounds of sexual orientatn. ”Ashers was orred to pay agreed damag of £500 pl urt firm was acced of discrimatg on the grounds of sexual orientatn agast Lee, a volunteer wh gay rights mpaign group asked Ashers Belfast’s Royal Avenue to bake the ke last year to mark the electn of the first openly gay mayor Northern Ireland, Andrew reported the bakery to the Equaly Commissn for Northern Ireland after reversed an earlier agreement to bake the ke wh the pro-gay marriage the three-day urt hearg March, Lee said the cisn by Ashers cisn to hand back the £36.

'GAY KE': ASHERS BAKERY SE HEARD AT SUPREME COURT

REUTERS/Clodagh Kilyne/File Photo Acquire Licensg RightsBELFAST, Jan 6 (Rters) - A plat of discrimatn prevly dismissed by Bra's hight urt agast a bakery that refed to make a ke wh a pro-gay msage was admissible, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) led on Bakg Belfast was found guilty of discrimatn 2015 for refg to make a ke for a ctomer iced wh the words "Support Gay Marriage" bee of the owners' Christian bakery failed an appeal to the lol urts 2016 but the Supreme Court, the UK's hight judicial body, overturned that cisn two years later, sayg the bakers' objectn was to the msage on the ke, not to any personal characteristics of the msenger, or anyone wh whom he was Lee, a gay rights activist who had orred the ke, argued that the Supreme Court failed to give appropriate weight to him unr the European Conventn of Human Rights. But the ECHR said uld not urp the role of the lol urts after Lee failed to exhst all domtic said this was particularly so Brish-n Northern Ireland, "where there is a large and strong fah muny and where the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTIQ) muny has endured a history of nsirable discrimatn and timidatn.

| Rters/Vcent KslerThe European Court of Human Rights has rejected a plat agast a Christian bakery Northern Ireland that refed to make a ke supportg gay marriage on relig Strasbourg-based urt charged wh terpretg the European Conventn on Human Rights rejected the plat of Gareth Lee.

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

A bakery n by evangelil Christians is to lnch a h attempt to overturn a £500 award ma agast for refg to bake a ke promotg same-sex bakery, which has branch Northern Ireland and is fancially supported by the Christian Instute, is takg s claim to the supreme urt on Tuday, which is stg Belfast this firm has twice been found to have discrimated on the grounds of sexual orientatn after ncelled an orr by a gay activist 2014 for a ke rated wh the slogan: “Support gay marriage” Lee had specified the motto for an event to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia. A top European urt has cled to le a high-profile discrimatn se centred on an activist's requt to have a ke rated wh the Same Street characters Bert and Ernie and the words "Support Gay Marriage" pots:The human rights urt said the se was admissible bee Gareth Lee had failed to "exhst domtic remedi"LGBTQ groups said the lg was disappotg and also took aim at the UK Supreme Court's 2018 cisnHowever, Christian groups said the cisn was "good news for Christians" The European Court of Human Rights said the se was admissible bee activist Gareth Lee had failed to "exhst domtic remedi" his se agast a Northern Ireland was the latt lg a long-nng legal battle that began 2014 when Ashers Bakg Co refed to make the ke Mr Lee owners argued they were happy to bake goods for anyone but would not put msag on their products at odds wh their Christian Lee said he was trated the se was thrown out on what he lled "a technily" and said eedom of exprsn "mt equally apply to lbian, gay, bisexual and trans people" origally orred the ke to support a mpaign to allow same-sex marriage Northern mpaign succeed when Bra's Parliament stepped to brg the regn to le wh the rt of the untry.

BERT AND ERNIE GAY MARRIAGE KE REFED BY NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERY

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

EUROPEAN URT CL TO TAKE PRO-GAY MARRIAGE KE SE

GAY MARRIAGE KE: CTOMER TAK SE TO EUROPEAN URT

NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERS GUILTY OF DISCRIMATN OVER GAY MARRIAGE KE

EUROPEAN COURT L NORTHERN IRELAND GAY KE SE ADMISSIBLE

CHRISTIAN BAKERY OWNERS W APPEAL ‘GAY KE’ SE

EUROPEAN URT L FAVOR OF CHRISTIAN BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE KE SUPPORTG GAY MARRIAGE

GAY MARRIAGE KE ROW REACH UK'S SUPREME URT BELFAST

EUROPEAN URT WON'T LE ON 'GAY KE' SE VOLVG NORTHERN IRELAND BAKERY