Christian bakers in Belfast lose ‘gay cake’ appeal

Christian bakers who were fined for refusing to bake a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan have lost their appeal against the ruling.

Appeal court judges said the bakers were not allowed to provide a service only to those who supported their religious beliefs.

The owners of Ashers Bakery in Belfast refused to bake a cake for gay activist Gareth Lee because the slogan contradicted their Christian beliefs.

But Belfast’s County Court ruled in May that the bakers had “unlawfully discriminated” against a gay man.

The court found that the bakery had breached equality legislation by refusing to bake the cake with the slogan “Support Gay Marriage”.

District Judge Isobel Brownlie said although the Ashers held religious beliefs they were not above the law and ordered the firm to pay agreed damages of £500.

The appeal court upheld the original court’s decision in its ruling today.