A case in which a Northern Ireland-based bakery has been found to have discriminated against a gay man for not baking a cake decorated with a message supporting same-sex marriage is the “latest example of the intolerance of those pushing for marriage to be redefined in law”, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.
Ashers Bakery, represented by owners Daniel and Amy McArthur, this week lost an appeal in Belfast to overturn a finding that it discriminated against gay activist Gareth Lee by not fulfilling an order for a cake decorated with Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street and the slogan ‘support gay marriage’.
ACL managing director Lyle Shelton said the case showed that while pro same-sex marriage activists say same-sex marriage does not affected other people’s freedoms, “clearly this is not the case”.
He said the Northern Ireland case had “eerie similarities” with legal action recently brought in Australia against Hobart’s Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous – later withdrawn – over booklets the church had distributed supporting its view of marriage being between a man and a woman.
Mr Shelton also expressed concern that the draft legislation to redefine marriage recently released by Australian Attorney-General George Brandis did not specifically include protections for non-clergy business people like the McArthurs.
“Australian florists, photographers, cake makers and venue owners will face the same legal punishment as their US and Irish counterparts if they too wish to exercise their right of conscience to decline services to same-sex weddings under the proposal put forward by Senator Brandis,” he said. “It is clear that the implications for freedom of conscience, speech and religion have not been thought through by the Australian Government.”
