#GayCake

[Cuellar]

UK supreme court backs bakery that refused to make gay wedding cake

A Belfast bakery run by evangelical Christians was not obliged to make a cake emblazoned with the message "support gay marriage", the supreme court has ruled, overturning a £500 damages award imposed on it.

In a unanimous decision, the UK's highest court found in favour of an appeal by Ashers, which had refused to produce the cake in 2014 for Gareth Lee, who supports the campaign to legalise same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.

The judgment, delivered after the supreme court's first hearing in Northern Ireland in May, reverses earlier decisions in Belfast county court and a court of appeal ruling that the company discriminated against Lee, who is gay, on the grounds of sexual orientation.

...

Freedom of expression, as guaranteed by article 10 of the European convention on human rights, includes the right "not to express an opinion which one does not hold", Hale added. "This court has held that nobody should be forced to have or express a political opinion in which he does not believe," she said.

"The bakers could not refuse to supply their goods to Mr Lee because he was a gay man or supported gay marriage, but that is quite different from obliging them to supply a cake iced with a message with which they profoundly disagreed."

Daniel McArthur, whose family runs Ashers, said outside the supreme court: "I want to start by thanking God. He has been with us for the last four years. We are delighted with the ruling. We always knew we had done nothing wrong in turning down the order. We are very grateful to the judges.

"We did not turn down this order because of the person who made it, but because of the message itself."

Well. Does making a cake with a slogan on it mean you endorse that slogan?

[SpiderChrist]

"I want to start by thanking God."

These people are fucking deranged.

[pancreas]

Well. Does making a cake with a slogan on it mean you endorse that slogan?

Yes, of course. I don't know about you, but I only write my deeply held beliefs on cakes. Recently, I iced a cake with 'interventionist neoliberal capitalism is unsustainable'. I would have expanded, but I'd run out of icing and space on the cake. I come here to shitpost and the serious stuff goes on the cakes.

[shiftwork2]

Poof pastry.

[shiftwork2]

Doesn't make any sense but I thought it best to get it out of the way early on.

[Buelligan]

Well. Does making a cake with a slogan on it mean you endorse that slogan?

Wait until Jeremy takes the mekarkama out of the oven and see what happens to the MSM.

[Cuellar]

"I want to start by thanking God."

These people are fucking deranged.

Yeah, comes across as a right bellend.

[Shaky]

Poof pastry.

The poof is in the pudding.

[Barry Admin]

I think it's fair enough this really, isn't it? If you were a baker, and some Klansman came in wanting a racist cake, you wouldn't want to be compelled by law to ice out a racist sentiment. No, you'd want the option to say "you can shove your racist cake up your arse mate."

[Buelligan]

I'd keep some gloves below the counter and offer to do it for them for a small fee.

[Barry Admin]

The fucking hashtag is brilliant:

By law can I now refuse to fit boilers for folk that voted No in the Scottish Referendum, voted Leave in the EU Referendum and people that believe in God?? #gaycake

Off to celebrate live morning prayer on facebook and give thanks for the witness of the Christian bakers, the Ashers. #gaycake

Gay people work in our schools, help our sick, entertain us, teach our children, protect us as police and even recentlt became part of the clergy but according to some can't become married and can't be supported on a bit of sponge cake. #gaycake

So can a Northern Irish Christian bus driver, refuse to transport a openly gay passenger? #gaycake

No, they can't.
But neither can they be forced to paint 'We love gay sex!' on the side of their bus.
#GayCake #Ashers

[Cuellar]

Off to celebrate live morning prayer on facebook and give thanks for the witness of the Christian bakers, the Ashers. #gaycake

Christians seem to use this word very broadly. You see it a lot when they protest outside reproductive health centres. What does it mean in this context? Kicking off in the name of GOD?

[Fry]

I think it's fair enough this really, isn't it? If you were a baker, and some Klansman came in wanting a racist cake, you wouldn't want to be compelled by law to ice out a racist sentiment. No, you'd want the option to say "you can shove your racist cake up your arse mate."

That was my first thought (although I imagined a swastika cake), then I figured that a swastika cake would be contravening some kind of hate speech law so you could argue that one isn't in the wrong for not wanting to participate in that. Maybe it would make more sense to think whether or not a baker is in the wrong for not wanting to ice a hypothetical cake with Jeremy Corbyns face on because they were ardent conservatives. Then again supporting Jeremy Corbyn doesn't constitute being a protected group.

Then my head hurt so I just decided to think the bakers were ridiculous pricks and probably awful bigots and just leave it at that.

[Barry Admin]

This guy doesn't quite get it, and unfortunately also went bankrupt:

#gaycake, just like I don't have to undertake work for someone who smokes in front of me. Just like I don't have to undertake work for ugly people! It's my business who I undertake work for. ITS MY CHOICE!!!

[Cuellar]

That was my first thought (although I imagined a swastika cake), then I figured that a swastika cake would be contravening some kind of hate speech law so you could argue that one isn't in the wrong for not wanting to participate in that. Maybe it would make more sense to think whether or not a baker is in the wrong for not wanting to ice a hypothetical cake with Jeremy Corbyns face on because they were ardent conservatives. Then again supporting Jeremy Corbyn doesn't constitute being a protected group.

Then my head hurt so I just decided to just think the bakers we're ridiculous pricks and probably awful bigots and just leave it at that.

Mmmmm very much my thought process. I'd like to think they shouldn't be compelled by law to do it, and I'd HOPE that word would get round that they were a bigot bakers and folks would stop going there. I have tremendous faith in the marketplace to regulate things like this, which is nice.

[Dex Sawash]

The most hetero cake is still quite gay

[Dex Sawash]

There should be an I fucking love cake thread, btw

[Butchers Blind]

Where can I buy gay cakes?

[biggytitbo]

Yeah, got to say I think I agree with the judgement, having initially supported the gay cake people. It's not discriminating against anyone, its discriminating against a message on a cake.

On that note, Sesame Street have confirmed that Bert and Ernie aren't gay, they're just very close friends, so that cake is libellous anyway.

[Dr Trouser]

don't think much of this week's Bake Off challenge. Next week's #Goatsecake might stretch them a bit though.

[Barry Admin]

I think it's actually a really interesting issue and throws up a lot of fascinating notions about where the line should be drawn for freedom of expression, and religion, and how businesses fit into that.

But I'm having trouble getting past the sheer hilarity of the term "#gaycake", and keep thinking of stuff like Armando's tit of cress. Actually, didn't Ian Martin say something like this a few years back when he would up some cricketers?

Edit: ahh it was #cakefuck - blimey #cakefuckgate was five years ago. I miss Ian Martin, he's top drawer.

[Thomas]

'I want to start by thanking God. He has been with us for the last four years.'

I'd be curious to know his legal fees.

[Buelligan]

He doesn't charge but they got through an awful lot of angel cake.

[bgmnts]

Oh Belfast.

Why is it hashtag GayCake and not hashtag Gayke?

[Thomas]

He doesn't charge but they got through an awful lot of angel cake.

#GabrielCake

No, not a #GayBrailleCake, that would be an unhygienic way to express messages in icing.

If the customers had asked the bakers to put the message in inverted commas, and to clearly attribute it, would that be alright? That way, they wouldn't technically be 'expressing an opinion they don't hold', only facilitating it cakewise for money.

[Cuellar]

Oh Belfast.

Kenneth Tynan's first draft 'needs work'.

[biggytitbo]

God's legal firm is Father, son and holy ghost isnt it?

[Barry Admin]

Stonewall statement:

Ashers Bakery, based in Northern Ireland, refused to bake a cake bearing the slogan 'Support Gay Marriage'.

Today the UK Supreme Court ruled the bakery was not discriminatory in this so-called 'gay cake' row.

Stonewall calls the ruling 'very concerning' and a 'backward step for equality'.

A Stonewall Spokesperson said: 'The Supreme Court's decision that Ashers bakery were not discriminatory in the so-called 'gay cake' row is very concerning for anyone who cares about equality. We will take time to review the judgement in detail.

It is illegal for providers of goods, facilities and services in the U.K to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and/or gender reassignment.

'The Court is saying the right of freedom of expression in effect allows people to discriminate against others based on who they are. This sets a hugely dangerous precedent which could be used by others to justify even more discrimination at a time when LGBT people still face exclusion, abuse and discrimination every day, despite that being against the law.

'This is a backward step for equality which needs to be urgently addressed.'

"in effect" - hmm...

[Thomas]

If somebody puts a message on a cake ('SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE'), and you cut the cake up in such a way as to change the message ('RATS R GRIM') , is that slanderous against the original message-maker (if, for example, they actually like rats)?

[popcorn]

My initial uneducated reaction is that the ruling makes sense. The customer wasn't refused because of their sexuality - a straight person could ask for the same cake and would be turned down.