Paul KeenanBelfast bakery reported to the North’s Equality Commission
A Christian-run bakery in Northern Ireland is facing legal action following its refusal to create a same-sex marriage cake.
Ashers Baking Company in Belfast was reported to the North’s Equality Commission in May when it refused an order for the cake on the basis that its message went against the religious beliefs on traditional marriage held by the bakery owners. The cake was to bear the message ‘Support Gay Marriage’ and the logo of the QueerSpace group together with a picture of the children’s Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert.
The Equality Commission has now written to Ashers accusing the bakery of discrimination. In response, Ashers manager Daniel McArthur (pictured) has indicated that the business will not be changing its position.
Decision
“We are Christians and our Christianity reaches to every point of our lives, whether that’s at home or in the day-to-day running of the business,” he said. “Although we have found this experience certainly unsettling and disruptive to our day-to-day business, we are certainly convinced that we have made the right decision, and we continue to take the stance that we do take.”
Ashers bakery is named for a Bible passage which states that “bread from Asher shall be rich and he shall yield royal dainties”.
The advocacy group, the Christian Institute is supporting Ashers in its defence against the Equality Commission’s action.