2233 days ago
I have noted in an earlier piece why I am delighted, if a bit surprised, that Ashers bakery in Belfast has won its court case, allowing it not to be forced to bake cakes carrying political messages with which it disagrees, in the case in support of gay marriage. As the great Peter Tatchell showed, backing the Christian bakers does not make you a bigot just someone who believes in key civil liberties.
2238 days ago
As I have noted before, the LGBTI and civil liberties campaigner Peter Tatchell is a national treasure. I don't always agree with him but today he again showed why he is a man of absolute principle. The case is Ashers, a baker in God’s chosen lands of Ulster, which refused to bake a cake for a same sex wedding. A lower court ruled that it was wrong to do so but at the Supreme Court today the bigoted bakers won their case. Step forward Tatch, a man who helped found the Pride march in London and who has been at the forefront of the gay equality movement for decades, in their defence, Tatch says:
3477 days ago
Ulster cake makers Ashers were today penalised and ordered to pay £500 compensation to gay rights campaigner Gareth Lee becuase they discriminated against him by refusing to produce a cake proclaiming support for gay marriage. Ashers is run by devout Christians who claim this is a matter of conscience.
I tend to think that Ashers is run by bigots but they risk their own capital running a shop and so should be free to sell to whom they want. Other cake shops will produce cakes celebrating gay marriage so it is not as if Mr Lee could not use his pink pounds to get a cake anywhere.
I would hope that enough folks would choose to boycott shops run by bigots