Gareth Lee, an LGBT activist in Northern Ireland ordered a cake from the Asher Baking Company with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’ and a picture of Sesame Street’s Bert & Ernie in an embrace. It would also contain a logo of the homosexual pressure (lobby) group Queerspace.
The company owners, based in Newtonabbey, said that this conflicted with their Biblical beliefs that marriage is only between a man and a woman and would be unable to fulfill the order. It had already been placed and paid for by non-management personnel in one of its six shops so the owners offered a full refund.
Not good enough for the activist (what is?), or the Northern Ireland Equality Commission which sided with Lee and ordered the bakery to remedy their “illegal discrimination”. This despite the fact that under the Equality Act 2010, religion is one of nine protected characteristics! The Equality Commission though is undaunted and has pursued legal action against the Christian-run bakery.
Ironically the cake was ordered for a civic event in Bangor Castle Town Hall, County Down, to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. But it seems that while LGBT activists expect to be tolerated they have no intention of reciprocation.
Business Manager Daniel McArthur said “We thought that this order was at odds with our beliefs, certainly was in contradiction with what the Bible teaches. We are Christians and our Christianity reaches to every point of our lives, whether that’s at home or in the day-to-day running of the business. Although we have found this experience certainly unsettling and disruptive to our day-to-day business, we are certainly convinced that we have made the right decision, and we continue to take the stance that we do take."
The Bakery is resisting The Equality Commission and has been joined by The Christian Institute, one of two Biblically-based organizations in Britain that frequently provide legal support to people and companies like Asher who are being discriminated against because of their faith.
Former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe has criticized the Commission saying “people should not be forced to affirm something they don’t believe. In a free country the baker should be able to refuse to take part in what is effectively PR for gay marriage in the knowledge that any customers who do not like that decision are free to buy their morning loaf elsewhere.”
Now the matter has reached current MP’s. Democratic & Unionist Party MP Gregory Campbell asked during Prime Minister’s Question Time: “Does the Prime Minister agree that so-called equality is now being viewed by many as an oppressive threat to religious freedom, and does he further agree that such freedoms should be protected by the introduction of a conscience clause?”
Prime Minister Cameron had to admit that he was not familiar with the case despite repeated media coverage and the fact that these kinds of cases have been occurring for some time. So in lieu of knowledge he launched into a short diatribe outlining that tolerance towards those of a different sexuality was an important part of being British.
Campbell meanwhile was far more educated on point and told media after the parliamentary session: "There have been a number of cases across the United Kingdom where so-called equality legislation has impeded the ability of people to uphold their religious beliefs. This latest case locally has seen a family-owned bakery threatened by legal action because they would not print a political slogan onto a cake. Such a message ran contrary to the company's Christian values. It is disappointing that the prime minister would not comment on the need for religious freedom to be protected through the introduction of a conscience clause. Tolerance needs to be a two-way street, but this case highlights that currently those who cannot support a particular political campaign may find themselves forced before the courts. That is totally unacceptable."
Campbell is spot on! The Gay Lobby demands complete acquiescence at the very least to anything that they deem to be true and right and are constantly pushing harder to criminalize any form of opposing voice. But in doing so they outlaw the very tolerance they claim to revere. In reality, tolerance is not on their mind, just full-on endorsement of anything they choose to believe by whatever means necessary.
