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

Contents:

• US SUPREME COURT BACKS COLORADO BAKER'S GAY WEDDG KE SNUB
• GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE
• BAKER WHO REFED TO MAKE KE FOR GAY WEDDG: 'I DON'T DISCRIMATE'
• I’VE CHANGED MY MD ON THE GAY KE ROW. HERE’S WHY
• 'GAY KE' ROW: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
• 13 GAY BAKERI REFE TO MAKE TRADNAL MARRIAGE CAKE WH THE MSAGE: 'GAY MARRIAGE IS WRONG'
• ASHERS 'GAY KE' SE: EUROPEAN URT L SE ADMISSIBLE
• COLORADO BAKER VOLVED GAY WEDDG KE ROW FED FOR REFG TO BAKE KE FOR TRANSGENR WOMAN
• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY
• GAY KE
• COURT L AGAST OREGON BAKERS WHO REFED TO MAKE GAY WEDDG KE

US SUPREME COURT BACKS COLORADO BAKER'S GAY WEDDG KE SNUB

Image source, RtersImage ptn, Jack Phillips has temporarily stopped makg weddg kThe US Supreme Court has led favour of a baker Colorado who refed to make a weddg ke for a gay Colorado state urt had found that baker Jack Phillips' cisn to turn away David Mulls and Charlie Craig 2012 was unlawful the Supreme Court led on Monday a 7-2 vote that that cisn had vlated Mr Phillips' rights. The nservative Christian ced his relig beliefs refg rights groups feared a lg agast the uple uld set a precent for treatg gay marriag differently om heterosexual the Supreme Court's verdict stead foc specifilly on Mr Phillips' se.

The cisn do not state that florists, photographers, or other servic n now refe to work wh gay lg three years after the Supreme Court ma same-sex marriage the law of the land s landmark Obergefell v Hodg source, Getty ImagImage ptn, David Mulls (left) and Charlie Craig wanted a weddg ke to celebrate their planned marriageWhat did Monday's lg say?

GAY WEDDG KE LG REAFFIRMS THAT BS N’T DISCRIMATE

Jtice Anthony Kennedy wrote that while Colorado law "n protect gay persons acquirg products and servic... A siar 'gay ke' row is ongog Northern Ireland. The Supreme Court Belfast has yet to release an opn on a lower urt lg that found the owners of a bakery discrimated agast a gay activist for refg to bake a ke wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" row began May 2014, when gay activist Gareth Lee placed an orr for a ke wh the gay marriage days later, the Christian-owned Ashers bakery ncelled the orr sayg "would ntradict their relig beliefs".

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? "The narrow Supreme Court lg lg Phillips’ se applied to the specific facts of his se only and gave ltle ht as to how the urt might ci future s volvg florists, bakers, photographers and other bs owners who have ced relig and ee-speech objectns when refg to serve gay and lbian ctomers the wake of the Supreme Court's 2015 same-sex marriage cisn.

BAKER WHO REFED TO MAKE KE FOR GAY WEDDG: 'I DON'T DISCRIMATE'

”An earlier cisn the Kern unty superr urt also went Miller’s way, but was later vated by the fifth district urt of appeal, which sent the lawsu back to the cisn as a Colorado baker is challengg a lg he vlated that state’s anti-discrimatn law by refg to make a ke celebratg a genr baker, Jack Phillips, separately won a partial US supreme urt victory after refg on relig grounds to make a gay uple’s weddg ke a ago.

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. 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?

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

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

It sought to challenge homophobia.

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

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.

13 GAY BAKERI REFE TO MAKE TRADNAL MARRIAGE CAKE WH THE MSAGE: 'GAY MARRIAGE IS WRONG'

Or gay bakers accept orrs for k wh homophobic slurs?

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? The bakery me to wir promence July 2014 when emerged that had cled an orr s Belfast branch om gay rights activist Gareth Lee. 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.

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

In October 2016, the owners of the bakery lost their appeal agast the lg that their refal to make a "gay ke" was discrimatory. ”In McPherson’s re-tellg to Bowman-Cryer and her fiancee, Lrel, that msage morphed somewhat: She said Kle had lled them both “abomatns” bee they were gay. In a 2018 cisn, the urt tossed out a Colorado lg agast a baker who refed to serve a gay uple on relig grounds, fdg the state had shown bias agast his relign while makg s cisn.

COLORADO BAKER VOLVED GAY WEDDG KE ROW FED FOR REFG TO BAKE KE FOR TRANSGENR WOMAN

| (Photo: Rters/David McNew)Dpe anti-discrimatn laws many stat that require Christian bakery owners to bake k for same-sex weddgs, 13 LGBT and gay-owned bakeri objected to one man's requt when he asked if they'd make a pro-tradnal marriage ke that would read "gay marriage is wrong. Shoebat set off on a vio experiment where he lled 13 bakeri, which are all eher known as gay-owned bakeri or bakeri that strongly support gay marriage, and told them that he was hostg a pro-tradnal marriage celebratn and that he need a ke that says "gay marriage is wrong. "Shoebat even lled a gay okie shop lled Hot Cookie San Francis and asked if they would make him a pizza-sized okie wh "gay marriage is wrong" wrten on .

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

After she told Shoebat that the bakery would not make the okie, Shoebat told her that the bakery mt not stand for equaly if they're refg to make a okie for a Christian who believ homosexualy is wrong. "Shoebat rpond by tellg her that although Christian bakers believe that gay marriage is morally wrong, they are still forced to make k for the same-sex weddgs.

GAY KE

"All of the homosexual activists California are workg to force Christian bs California to acquice to homosexual opn and thgs that they don't agree wh, " Shoebat asserted.

"Technilly, you are discrimatg agast people like me, when you refe to make a ke that says 'gay marriage is wrong. Although every time Shoebat was nied and tried to start a bate about why the bakery was not standg for equaly, most of the reprentativ jt hung up on his poted ethil majory of short rpons that Shoebat recevied om bakery workers noted that his requt went agast their "belief" gay Christian bs owners have felt the stly impact of vlatg their state's anti-discrimatn laws after they nied service based on their biblil "belief" the tradnal fn of marriage, which stat that marriage is only between one man and one woman. "I am a man who believ gay marriage is wrong.

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.

COURT L AGAST OREGON BAKERS WHO REFED TO MAKE GAY WEDDG KE

"Everyone has eedom of exprsn and mt equally apply to lbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, " he add. 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. 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.