Christian bakers refuse gay wedding cake - face legal action

sweefs · July 14, 2014, 11:43pm

Re: Christian bakers refuse gay wedding cake - face legal action

Okay I have no idea what’s going on in this thread. But I’m going to offer my opinion based on the local reception this news has received. So spare me all the sneers, malice and nonsensical one liners if you don’t agree with me or don’t even want to understand the point. I’d like be the bigger person and apologise to you in advance for hurting any egos.

Just to get this thread back on topic and invite more serious posters with different ideas and opinions, following is my understanding of the case:

Gay marriages are illegal in Northern Ireland, and this case is going to the court. I’m not a legal expert, but it’d be interesting to see how the court will punish someone for not supporting something that state itself calls it illegal. Although Equality Commission by default is obliged to proceed with any complaint they receive.

Secondly, I assume people are under impression that the bakery straight up refused to take order from the couple based on their sexual orientation? Wrong. The customers were not refused the services because of their sexual orientation - the order was taken (some say the cake got baked as well). However, baker simply refused to support a political message on the cake which which he found disrespectful (or whatever) to his values and belief, and ironically it’s also a message that the state itself stands against. If the baker was criminal for not supporting a certain political statement (not refusing the service) then where does this leave the idea of of freedom of conscience? Freedom of speech?

There’s no record of bakery refusing services to Gays in the past, however, it has refused to write foul language, draw offensive and pornographic images on the cakes. What shall we say about that? Seems like the baker would’ve objected the message even if it was requested by straight couple, single male or a female etc etc.

So this is bit of context for the overall controversy and the situation in Northern Ireland. Hopefully, it’ll lead to a healthy discussion and exchange of ideas from different posters.

If not, then let’s just say that I can’t be arsed about people who only see things in black and white order. My post isn’t to convince any of those poor souls. Just like I believe in freedom of conscience and freedom of speech, I also believe that downplaying discrimination is a slippery slope. If you allow one particular set of discrimination to cary on as normal, all other forms and types of discrimination eventually start to make sense in some twisted way. So on that note, lets see whether the Irish court calls it a case direct discrimination or individual’s right to freedom of belief .

this. end of.