Gay activist goes out of his way to be offended.

[Zip Code]

Personally while I have nothing against gay marriage I do think that this is perhaps taking things a little too far.

As has been said before you could apply similar logic to a variety of places...

Could you for example go into a flag shop (as it's a PC hot potato) on sandy rowe or the shankill and either buy a tricolour or order one? I very much doubt it.

Its not similar logic, its twisted logic.

Using a clear example of accepted bigotry as your barometer of an inclusive society makes no sense whatsoever.

Well it's not a barometer of inclusive society as we don't live in an inclusive society.

Would I like everywhere and everyone to be inclusive - yes I would. If July teaches you anything it's that I(and presumably you) live in a society which is not all inclusive.

A person put something on facebook which I would tend to agree with... I think these people should be boycotted but I don't think they should have legal action against them.

You used it as your barometer. It isn't an inclusive society, but we still need to aim for it to be so. Should we accept homophobia, just because sectarianism is rife?

Where would you draw the line? Do we prosecute everyone who doesn't show that they tolerate everyone and everything?

Why in this particular scenario could they not have a) highlighted it so the shop got the bad publicity and b) went to another shop?

Probably because they were looking some handy cash.

"It asked us to propose how we would recompense the customer for this discrimination. It also said it would pursue legal proceedings if we didn't respond within a seven-day time period," Mr McArthur said.

[playwiththewind1st]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-28206581

He knew it would be refused but make sure you ram your views down everyone's throat.  Why did he not go elsewhere to get his cake.

You're right, the bigots are well within their rights. Typical gay people kicking up a storm by being different 

there were acting the bollicks,must be some size of cake for all they were looking on it,i have no problem with being gay but dont try and shove it down people throat

So where does society draw the line?

Can this shop refuse to make cakes for catholics? Polish people? Black people?

if a catholic went into a bakery on the shankill road and asked for a cake to be decorated in green white and orange with up the pope wrote on it what response would you expect?

"Where's your money then, ya Fenian scum & none of that Euro crap"?

[Zulu]

Believing in a God is one thing but taking the bible as the word of God, especially the old testament is patently nonsense. Anybody running a bakery on the basis of the bible is a nut job.

[Zulu]

I'm technically a catholic but I don't believe there's a god. However, I've no problem with those that do believe there's a god but I do have an issue with people making decisions based on what's in the bible. If you are saying that it's literally the word of God and must be obeyed then you don't believe in evolution and you do believe in stoning and the like. A decent human being, religious or otherwise, doesn't refuse to bake a cake for a gay person. Using the Old Testament to justify it is just loo la stuff.

[macdanger2]

The message on the cake was fairly innocuous, if it was something more explicit or something you could maybe understand offence being taken

[Zulu]

If this fruit cake was living his life according to the the Harry Potter books would you think that strange? I'm not telling people how to live by the way but I am giving an opinion on the daftness of this guy. Many religious people don't live their lives based on a literal interpretation of the bible so being a Christian or not is neither here nor there.

I think the bakery should be within their rights to refuse to do business with whoever they want.

So you think they should be allowed to refuse Catholics, blacks, women and disabled people if they want? You were fine with the no blacks, Irish or dogs signs in Britain I presume?

[haranguerer]

Believing in a God is one thing but taking the bible as the word of God, especially the old testament is patently nonsense. Anybody running a bakery on the basis of the bible is a nut job.

This is very true

[EC Unique]

If a nightclub can have a bouncer at the door turning people away because they don't like the look of them then why can't the bakery refuse?

[J70]

If a nightclub can have a bouncer at the door turning people away because they don't like the look of them then why can't the bakery refuse?

Is the bouncer allowed to turn away people because they are gay or black or muslim or catholic?

[EC Unique]

If a nightclub can have a bouncer at the door turning people away because they don't like the look of them then why can't the bakery refuse?

Is the bouncer allowed to turn away people because they are gay or black or muslim or catholic?

I think the technical term is that they reserve the right to refuse entry so basically yes to the above. Just don't say it. As somebody else said the company was just to honest.

[macdanger2]

I'd expect that if this were to go to court, the legal argument would centre around whether they were refused because they were gay (which I'd assume is illegal) or because they were offended by the message (which may not be)

[Jim_Murphy_74]

If this fruit cake

It wasn't a fruit cake it was a cake for a fruit.


/Jim

[Tony Baloney]

Asher's in Abbott's Cross was the bakery of choice for Nortel employees. Catholics and cream buns alike 

[thewobbler]

If a straight person was refused a request to bake a cake, one which contained messages of support for gay marriage, would it really have become an issue?

I'm guessing not.

To be honest, while equality is a human right, then surely so is free trade a human right.

Personally I can't work how it's okay for a members club (bar, tennis, golf) to refuse my entry or patronage, or why a restaurant can refuse my children, or why it's okay for Victoria Beckham to not make jeans beyond waist size 32" *, or why car manufacturers can ignore the needs of paraplegics, or why ANY trader is forced to restrict his opening hours and therefore trading potential with shift workers on a Sunday - yet it's not okay for a manufacturer such as Ashers to decline a sale.

IMHO the Equality Commission could do everyone a favour in instances such as this, and remind minority groups to keep their powder dry for situations when their actual rights as humans are affected or afflicted. which is not the case here.

* I'm guessing she doesn't make big-sized jeans

[Zulu]

I don't have any sneering attitude about his faith and have made that quite clear. I do however have an issue with someone using the bible to justify discriminatory actions. If he views the old testament as the word of god then he believes we came from Adam and Eve and that he would be justified in stoning people for various 'crimes'.

If you believe in a god, fine, but if you are running a bakery on the basis of the old testament then that is daft and refusing to make a cake for person based on what the old testament says is worthy of criticism. Do you believe being a Christian is to live your life by the teachings of the old testament?