Bakers in Northern Ireland guilty of discrimination
Ashers Baking Company has been found guilty of discriminating against Gareth Lee by refusing to bake a cake with a theme promoting gay marriage.
Although the judge, District Judge Isobel Brownlie, accepted that the family who own Ashers "hold genuine deeply-held religious beliefs", she did say that the McArthur family had discriminated because of their customer's sexuality.
She said that the regulations were there "to protect people from having their sexual orientation used for having their business turned down".
Lee described the suggestion that Ashers return the money he had paid for the cake "made me feel I'm not worthy, a lesser person and to me that was wrong". Lee reported the baker to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland which eventually led to the trial.
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Although the judge, District Judge Isobel Brownlie, accepted that the family who own Ashers "hold genuine deeply-held religious beliefs", she did say that the McArthur family had discriminated because of their customer's sexuality.
She said that the regulations were there "to protect people from having their sexual orientation used for having their business turned down".
Lee described the suggestion that Ashers return the money he had paid for the cake "made me feel I'm not worthy, a lesser person and to me that was wrong". Lee reported the baker to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland which eventually led to the trial.
Read more here