Belfast 'gay ke' row is about eedom of exprsn | Peter Tatchell Foundatn

Contents:

• ASHERS 'GAY KE' SE: EUROPEAN URT L SE ADMISSIBLE
• 'GAY KE' ROW: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
• ‘GAY KE’ LEGAL CHALLENGE THROWN OUT BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
• THE ‘GAY KE’ BAKERY SHOP CENTRAL BELFAST IS CLOSG BEE ISN’T ‘BY ENOUGH’
• BAKERY 'GAY KE' ROW CLOS BRANCH BELFAST CY CENTRE
• ‘GAY KE’ BELFAST BAKERY PLAT LED ADMISSIBLE BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
• 'GAY KE' BAKERY ASHERS TO CLOSE BELFAST STORE
• BELFAST BAKERY WS UK SUPREME COURT APPEAL 'GAY KE' SE
• '˜GAY KE' BAKERY CLOS BELFAST BRANCH
• ‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY
• PROFS RISE AT BELFAST'S CHRISTIAN BAKERY GAY KE ROW
• BELFAST ‘GAY KE’ ROW IS ABOUT EEDOM OF EXPRSN
• UK SUPREME URT BACKS BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE GAY MARRIAGE KE
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• GAY MOSW · CY GUI
• GAY BELFAST
• BELFAST 'GAY KE' SE THROWN OUT BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTSTHE ECHR SAID MR LEE HAD FAILED TO "EXHST DOMTIC REMEDI" HIS SEBELFASTLIVEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSNEWSBYJONATHAN 09:34, 6 JAN 2022UPDATED13:52, 6 JAN 2022BOOKMARKGARETH LEE (IMAGE: PA)STAY ON TOP OF THE HEADL OM BELFAST AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP FOR FREE EMAIL ALERTS MORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 STAY ON TOP OF THE HEADL OM BELFAST AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP FOR FREE EMAIL ALERTS INVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

ASHERS 'GAY KE' SE: EUROPEAN URT L SE ADMISSIBLE

Image ptn, Gareth Lee sued Christian-n Ashers bakery for refg to make a ke rated wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage"A gay rights activist has lost a seven-year discrimatn dispute over a ke orr as the European Court of Human Rights led his se Lee started legal actn back 2014 after a Christian-n Belfast bakery refed to make him a ke wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" fay firm Ashers said the slogan ntravened their Christian European urt led Mr Lee's se admissible, sayg he had failed to exhst all optns the UK Belfast man has long argued that by refg to fulfil his orr, the bakery had discrimated agast him on grounds of his sexual orientatn and polil Lee then took his se to the European Court of Human Rights, where was examed by seven judg who cid, by majory, that should be long-nng dispute has raised qutns about relig eedom and discrimatn their lg on Thursday, the judg said the se was admissible bee Mr Lee had not voked his rights unr the European Conventn of Human Rights "at any pot the domtic proceedgs" the UK judg cid that orr for a plat to be admissible, "the Conventn arguments mt be raised explicly or substance before the domtic thori" ptn, BBC News NI looks at the key dat the "gay ke" se"By relyg solely on domtic law, the applint had prived the domtic urts of the opportuny to addrs any Conventn issu raised, stead askg the urt to urp the role of the domtic urts. The se began 2014, when Mr Lee vised a Belfast branch of Ashers Bakery, and asked them to bake a ke rated wh the gay marriage source, Getty Image/Charl McQuillanImage ptn, Gareth Lee said he was trated that the se had been dismissed on a "technily"At the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal Northern Ireland, but the law has sce changed and same-sex weddgs have been takg place sce Febary ke Mr Lee requted was to feature an image of Bert and Ernie, two characters om the children's TV programme Same Street, and the logo of the mpaign group, Lee paid £36. 50 for a ke and left the shop, but a few days later, bakery staff lled him to say they uld not plete the orr bee of the slogan and would refund his Bakg Company is n by the McArthurs, a Christian fay om County Lee said the cisn to refe his orr had ma him feel "unworthy" and a "lser person" plaed to the Equaly Commissn for Northern Ireland, who supported him takg a discrimatn se agast the fought the se, argug they had not turned Mr Lee's ctom away bee he was gay, but bee he had asked them to produce somethg that was ntrary to their relig is the European Court of Human Rights?

'GAY KE' ROW: WHAT IS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?

It was disappotg to see another attempt to unrme those rights, so is a relief that the attempt has failed, " Mr Calvert source, Getty Imag/Leon NealImage ptn, Amy and Daniel McArthur photographed after their UK Supreme Court victory 2018However, the Rabow Project, a Belfast-based gay rights mpaign group, said the UK Supreme urt cisn had created legal uncertaty for LGBT people when accsg goods and servic and Thursday's ECHR lg had not rolved that uncertaty. "If the judgement had gone the other way, a gay baker uld have been forced by law to acce to requts to rate k wh msag opposg LGBT+ equaly, " he ptn, Gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell said he had great sympathy for Gareth Lee but that he did not believe Ashers had discrimated agast him"I support protts agast Ashers over their hostily to LGBT+ equaly but I nnot endorse legal pulsn to require them to promote a msage wh which they profoundly disagree.

The European Court of Human Rights has dismissed a legal challenge a long-nng dispute known as the "gay ke" se, lg the actn ECHR is the latt urt to have s say the long-nng all started 2014, when a bakery Northern Ireland refed to make a ke wh a slogan supportg same-sex 's a look at how the se reached Strasbourg:What about the bakery? He had wanted them to make a ke that clud a slogan that said "support gay marriage" along wh a picture of Bert and Ernie om Same Street, and the logo of the Queerspace the time, same-sex marriage was still illegal Northern Ireland, but the law has sce changed and same-sex weddgs have been takg place sce Febary ke was beg missned for a civic event Bangor, County Down, to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and at the bakery passed the orr to s head office, which nsired to be "at odds" wh their beliefs.

Durg the heargs, a lawyer for the bakery argued the issue was "the ke, not the ctomer" of the bakers, Karen McArthur, said she did not know Mr Lee was gay and would not have mattered as they would not have been prepared to make a ke wh a pro-same-sex marriage slogan for anyone.

‘GAY KE’ LEGAL CHALLENGE THROWN OUT BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Get the ee Morng Headl email for news om our reporters across the worldSign up to our ee Morng Headl emailA man has lost a seven-year legal battle agast the Christian owners of a Belfast bakery who refed to make him a ke wh the slogan “support gay marriage” after his claim was led admissible by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ECHR said Gareth Lee had failed to “exhst domtic remedi” the long-nng so-lled “gay ke” 2018, the UK Supreme Court led Mr Lee was not discrimated agast when Ashers bakery refed to make him a ke wh the slogan supportg gay Lee then referred the se to the ECHR, claimg the Supreme Court failed to give appropriate weight to him unr the European Conventn of Human, a lg, the urt said: “Conventn arguments mt be raised explicly or substance before the domtic thori. 50 ke om Ashers May 2014 featurg Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie for a private functn markg the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia.

(QueerSpace Belfast)His orr was accepted and he paid full, but two days later the Christian owners of the pany lled to say uld not proceed due to the msage Lee then lnched the legal se, supported by Northern Ireland's Equaly Commissn, allegg discrimatn on the grounds of his sexualy, and won heargs at the unty urt and the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal 2015 and the owners of Ashers, Daniel and Amy McArthur - backed by the Christian Instute - challenged those lgs at the Supreme Court, and 2018 five jtic unanimoly led they had not discrimated agast the Lee said he had “hoped for a different oute” his challenge to the said: “Everyone has eedom of exprsn and mt equally apply to lbian, gay, bisexual and trans people.

The Northern Ireland bakery pany at the centre of the ‘gay ke’ discrimatn row will close s central Belfast branch bee ’s not “by enough. On October 10, the Supreme Court led that Ashers Bakg Company was not guilty of discrimatn by refg to bake a pro-gay marriage ke, a lg that was cricised by LGBT+ activists. The cisn followed a four-year-old dispute that started when Gareth Lee, a LGBT+ advote wh Queer Space, paid the bakery to make a ke to mark the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia.

THE ‘GAY KE’ BAKERY SHOP CENTRAL BELFAST IS CLOSG BEE ISN’T ‘BY ENOUGH’

The bakery, owned by the McArthur fay, refund Lee after refg to bake a ke showg the msage ‘Support Gay Marriage’ above an image of Same Street’s Bert and Ernie cg relig valu. Get the ee Morng Headl email for news om our reporters across the worldSign up to our ee Morng Headl emailA bakery pany at the centre of the so lled "gay ke" urt se, is to close a branch Belfast. Ashers ma headl around the world when the owners' refal to make a ke promotg same-sex marriageA legal actn was origally brought by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who claimed he had been discrimated agast when the firm refed to make him a ke iced wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" Lee ially won his se the unty urt and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, but the McArthurs then challenged those lgs at a Supreme Court hearg Belfast May, where was cleared of discrimatn.

A COMPLAINT by a Northern Ireland gay rights activist that he had been discrimated agast when the Christian owners of a bakery refed to make him a ke iced wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage" has been led admissible by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

A legal actn was origally brought by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who claimed he had been discrimated agast when the firm refed to make him a ke iced wh the slogan "Support Gay Marriage". The Christian owners of a bakery have won an appeal at the UK's hight urt over a fdg that they discrimated agast a ctomer by refg to make a ke rated wh the words "Support Gay Marriage". The legal actn was origally brought agast fay-n Ashers bakery Belfast by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who won his se ially the unty urt and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.

BAKERY 'GAY KE' ROW CLOS BRANCH BELFAST CY CENTRE

Announcg the urt's cisn, s print, Lady Hale, said: "This ncln is not any way to dimish the need to protect gay people and people who support gay marriage om discrimatn.

‘GAY KE’ BELFAST BAKERY PLAT LED ADMISSIBLE BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The urt also said Mr Lee had no claim agast Ashers on the grounds of relig belief or polil Hale add: "The bakers uld not refe to supply their goods to Mr Lee bee he was a gay man or supported gay marriage, but that is que different om obligg them to supply a ke iced wh a msage wh which they profoundly disagreed.

Controversy first flared when Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocy group QueerSpace, orred a ke 2014 featurg Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie for a private functn markg Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia.

'GAY KE' BAKERY ASHERS TO CLOSE BELFAST STORE

NewsThe bakery at the centre of the so-lled 'gay ke' se is to close a branch was cleared of discrimatn by the UK’s hight urt after s owners refed to make a ke promotg same-sex store on Royal Avenue the cy centre is set to close bee is not by follows a major fire at a nearby Primark clothg store which has vastated trars the area.

BELFAST BAKERY WS UK SUPREME COURT APPEAL 'GAY KE' SE

”A legal actn was origally brought by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who claimed he had been discrimated agast when the firm refed to make him a ke iced wh the slogan “Support Gay Marriage” Lee ially won his se the unty urt and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, but the McArthurs then challenged those lgs at a Supreme Court hearg Belfast massive fire at the Primark store Belfast cy centre stroyed the listed buildg.

A man has lost a seven-year legal battle agast a Belfast bakery that refed to make him a ke emblazoned wh the msage “support gay marriage” as the European urt of human rights led that his claim was admissible, promptg disappotment om gay rights Thursday the ECHR, by a majory cisn, said would not rensir the cisn of the UK supreme urt, which had overturned a £500 damag award imposed on Ashers bakery, which is n by evangelil refed to produce the ke, featurg the Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie, 2014 for Gareth Lee, who was a supporter of the mpaign to legalise same-sex marriage Northern Ireland.

Same-sex marriage was legalised Northern Ireland last the supreme urt judgment 2018, after s first hearg Northern Ireland, a Belfast unty urt and a urt of appeal had led that the pany discrimated agast Lee, who is gay, on the grounds of sexual ECHR said the claim was admissible bee the applint had not exprsly voked his rights unr the European nventn on human rights at any pot the domtic proceedgs and had relied solely on domtic said: “The supreme urt found on the facts of the se that the applint was not treated differently on acunt of his real or perceived sexual orientatn, but rather that the refal to supply the ke was bee of the fendants’ relig objectn to gay marriage.

'˜GAY KE' BAKERY CLOS BELFAST BRANCH

“What was prcipally at issue, therefore, was not the effect on the applint’s private life or his eedom to hold or exprs his opns or beliefs, but rather whether Ashers bakery was required to produce a ke exprsg the applint’s polil support for gay marriage. Its puty director, Daniel Holr, said the ECHR’S lg on admissibily left dividuals and anisatns mpaigng on gay rights “vulnerable to a mercial bs refg to provi servic like prtg posters, leaflets, settg up webs etc, through claimg an exemptn to non-discrimatn laws on the basis of ‘’s not you ’s your msage’.

‘GAY KE’ ROW: MAN LOS SEVEN-YEAR BATTLE AGAST BELFAST BAKERY

”The ECHR said balancg the rights of Lee and those of the bakery owners, Daniel and Amy McArthur, was “a matter of great import and sensivy to both LGBTIQ muni and to fah muni”, particularly Northern Calvert, a spokperson for the Christian Instute, which backed the McArthurs, lled the cisn good news for ee speech, addg: “It protects gay bs owners om beg forced to promote views they don’t share, jt as much as protects Christian bs owners. Profs on the rise at Christian bakery that lost gay ke urt battle but 's STILL turng down orrs spe beg found guilty of discrimatnAshers bakery was found to have breached equaly laws 2014 gay ke rowBs cled to make a ke iced wh the slogan Support Gay MarriageAnd has sce refed orr for ke rated wh 'Gay Marriage Rocks'But cutomers are still supportg and has rerd £170, 000 profs rise Updated: 10:42 BST, 10 May 2017.

PROFS RISE AT BELFAST'S CHRISTIAN BAKERY GAY KE ROW

Daniel and Amy McArthur of Ashers Bakg Company, which is based Belfast The Christian-owned bakers who refed to make a pro-gay marriage ke are beg backed by ctomers who have helped their profs rise to £1.

Bakery Belfast was found to have breached equaly laws after clg to make a ke iced wh the slogan 'Support Gay Marriage' the fay-n bs was the news aga this week after refg an onle orr for a ke rated wh the words 'Gay Marriage Rocks' the legal wrangle has not translated to fancial damage yet - wh the firm rerdg a £170, 000 rise profs last year, reported the Belfast Supreme Court will this tumn nsir a lower urt's judgement that Ashers, which has seven outlets Northern Ireland, was discrimatory. The fay-n bs Belfast was the news aga this week after refg an onle orr for a ke rated wh the words 'Gay marriage rocks'Daniel McArthur, the general manager of Ashers, said: 'The fact that the Supreme Court is willg to hear arguments is very enuragg and reflects the importance of the issu and the high-profile nature of the se. 'The se agast Ashers was taken by gay rights activist Mr Lee wh support om Northern Ireland's Equaly ntroversy first flared when Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocy group Queer Space, orred a ke featurg Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie for a private functn markg Internatnal Day Agast placed the orr person at Ashers' Belfast cy centre branch May was accepted and he paid full but, two days later, the pany lled to say uld not proceed due to the msage requted.

BELFAST ‘GAY KE’ ROW IS ABOUT EEDOM OF EXPRSN

Mountg an appeal, Ashers ntend that never had an issue wh Mr Lee's sexualy, rather the msage he was seekg to put on the bs said the slogan was nsistent wh their eply-held relig this week was revealed that the fay had refed an onle orr for a ke rated wh the words 'Gay Marriage Rocks'.

UK SUPREME URT BACKS BAKERY THAT REFED TO MAKE GAY MARRIAGE KE

The McArthurs are Christians who believe marriage should be between a man and a womanMs McCann wanted the ke ma for her iend Joe Palmer, who is gettg married to his boyiend Andy Wong the told Sunday Life: 'The wordg we requted was "Gay Marriage Rocks! A COMPLAINT BY Northern Ireland gay rights activist Gareth Lee that he was discrimated agast when the Christian owners of a Belfast bakery refed to make him a ke iced wh the slogan “Support Gay Marriage” has been led admissible by the European Court of Human Rights.

In 2018, the UK Supreme Court led that Lee was not discrimated agast when Ashers bakery refed to make him a ke wh the slogan supportg gay marriage. 50 ke May 2014 featurg Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie for a private functn markg Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia om Ashers bakery Belfast.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

Judg will le on whether the Christian bakery acted lawfully when refed to rate a ke wh the words ‘support gay marriage’ at the requt of equaly mpaigner Gareth Lee. As a lifelong mpaigner for LGBT rights, and as someone wh gay iends Northern Ireland who want to marry, I obvly strongly disagree wh Ashers’ opposn to marriage equaly.

The bakers didn’t turn away their gay ctomer – they gladly agreed to make Gareth a ke but merely cled to rate wh the pro-gay marriage wordg that he requted. If the Supreme Court sists that the bakery should be required to promote a pro-gay rights msage that they fd objectnable, this would prumably also mean that a Jewish publisher uld be obliged to prt a book that propagat Holot nial.

GAY MOSW · CY GUI

The logil nsequence of the Appeal Court’s judgement agast Ashers is that bs nnot lawfully refe a ctomer’s requt to propagate a msage, even if is sexist, xenophobic or anti-gay – and even if the bs owners have a nscient objectn to . This se is different om the Christian B&B owners who refed to acmodate a same-sex uple or the town hall registrar who refed to perform a gay civil partnership. A Belfast bakery n by evangelil Christians was not obliged to make a ke emblazoned wh the msage “support gay marriage”, the supreme urt has led, overturng a £500 damag award imposed on unanimo cisn by the UK’s hight urt was greeted as a victory for ee speech but nmned by gay rights groups and the Equaly Commissn of Northern Ireland as a backward step batg had refed to produce the ke, featurg the Same Street puppets Bert and Ernie, 2014 for Gareth Lee, who supports the mpaign to legalise same-sex marriage Northern Ireland.

GAY BELFAST

He wanted to take to a private functn markg Internatnal Day Agast judgment, livered after the supreme urt’s first hearg Northern Ireland May, revers earlier cisns Belfast unty urt and a urt of appeal lg that the pany discrimated agast Lee, who is gay, on the grounds of sexual five jtic on the supreme urt – Lady Hale, Lord Mance, Lord Kerr, Lord Hodge and Lady Black – found the bakery did not refe to fulfil Lee’s orr bee of his sexual orientatn and therefore there was no discrimatn on those grounds. “The bakers uld not refe to supply their goods to Mr Lee bee he was a gay man or supported gay marriage, but that is que different om obligg them to supply a ke iced wh a msage wh which they profoundly disagreed.

The US supreme urt reached a siar ncln another bakery se June, when led favour of a Colorado baker who had refed to produce a weddg ke for a gay uple the lg, Lee said: “I’m very nfed about what this actually means. ”The Rabow Project, Northern Ireland’s largt support anisatn for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) people, exprsed s disappotment at the #Ashers lg is an historic and semal judgement.

BELFAST 'GAY KE' SE THROWN OUT BY EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTSTHE ECHR SAID MR LEE HAD FAILED TO "EXHST DOMTIC REMEDI" HIS SEBELFASTLIVEBOOKMARKSHARECOMMENTSNEWSBYJONATHAN 09:34, 6 JAN 2022UPDATED13:52, 6 JAN 2022BOOKMARKGARETH LEE (IMAGE: PA)STAY ON TOP OF THE HEADL OM BELFAST AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP FOR FREE EMAIL ALERTS MORE NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBEINVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.MORE NEWSLETTERSWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!WE HAVE MORE NEWSLETTERSSHOW ME SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE SEE OURPRIVACY NOTICE&TIM;GROUP 28 STAY ON TOP OF THE HEADL OM BELFAST AND BEYOND BY SIGNG UP FOR FREE EMAIL ALERTS INVALID EMAILSOMETHG WENT WRONG, PLEASE TRY AGA LATER.SIGN UPNO THANKS, CLOSEWE E YOUR SIGN-UP TO PROVI NTENT WAYS YOU’VE NSENTED TO AND IMPROVE OUR UNRSTANDG OF YOU. THIS MAY CLU ADVERTS OM AND THIRD PARTI BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF YOU. MORE &TIM;GROUP 28THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBG!

As well as meang that Ashers nnot be legally forced to aid the promotn of same-sex marriage, also means that gay bakers nnot be pelled by law to rate k wh anti-gay marriage slogans. That said, the vast majory of viss rema trouble-ee, even for visors who equent the cy’s ls-than-secret gay bar and club bt hotels MoswThe historic exterr of the Hotel Metropol, facg the ternatnally-celebrated Bolshoi Theatre and close to many of the other ma thgs to do Mosw, is nothg pared to s sumptuo terrs. The rpeted terrs give this stay a homely ambience, which marri well wh breakfast – which is served your CrewiRemend hotels Gay Mosw - MoswSpecial SelectnExclive Mr Hudson offersExplore more.