Bakers in gay cake case urge other Christians to ‘take their stand’

The Northern Irish bakers who claimed a landmark legal victory in the “gay cake” case have urged fellow Christians to “take their stand” on religious issues.

Last week, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Ashers Baking Co in Belfast had not discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief or political opinion by refusing to decorate a cake with the message “Support Gay Marriage”.

Judges unanimously agreed the Christian bakers had objected to the message rather than the person who ordered the Sesame Street-themed cake.

Owner Daniel McArthur and his wife Amy spoke to The Christian Institute, a charity supporting Christians facing LGBT discrimination cases, about how difficult the high-profile dispute had been to deal with.

Ms McArthur said: “I would say to other Christians to not be afraid, to take your stand for God’s word because he is so faithful and he will bring you through it.”

Mr McArthur said some fellow Christians had advised them against fighting the previous legal judgments made in the courts in Northern Ireland.

“People ask you, ‘Was it worth it, going through all this?’ And I answer them, ‘Absolutely yes’.

“The hardest thing was when other Christians told you they thought you weren’t doing the right thing bringing it through the courts,” he added.

Mr McArthur also suggested the ruling would encourage Christians claiming “free speech” in similar cases. “This judgment carries so much weight because it guarantees free speech for Christians all over the UK,” he said.

On Wednesday the president of the Supreme Court Lady Hale explained the ruling would not prevent the legal protection of LGBT rights: “This conclusion is not in any way to diminish the need to protect gay people and people who support gay marriage from discrimination.”

On Thursday The Independent revealed the photographic agency hired to take pictures of the bakery’s Christian owners refused to hand over the images in a “tit for tat” case.

The Perfocal agency said photos of Mr and Ms Asher were withheld and a refund issued after the photographer realised they had been commissioned by the lobby group Christian Institute regarding the “gay cake” case.

Perfocal founder Tony Xu said the company was “standing up against discrimination”. ”We appreciate that this looks like tit for tat, and it is,” he added.

Legal action was originally brought against the bakery by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who won his case initially in the county court and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.

Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocacy group QueerSpace, ordered a cake in 2014 featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie for a private function marking International Day Against Homophobia.

His order was initially accepted, but two days later the company called to say it could not proceed because of the “Support Gay Marriage”.

In the original court case, the district judge Isobel Brownlie ruled that religious beliefs could not dictate the law and ordered the firm to pay damages of £500.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK or Ireland where same-sex marriage is outlawed. Prime Minister Theresa May’s DUP allies remain staunch opponents of changing the law.