Ashers Bakery In Court Over 'Gay' Cake Row

A Christian-owned bakery which refused to ice a cake with the words "Support gay marriage" is preparing to defend its decision in a Belfast courtroom.

The publicly-funded Equality Commission has brought a civil action, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, against Ashers Baking Company from Newtownabbey, County Antrim.

The Commission alleges that the bakery breached statutory duty not to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods or services.

The owners of the baking chain say they did not inquire about the customer's sexuality so could not have discriminated against him because of it.

They had declined Gareth Lee's order for a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie and the logo of the Belfast-based campaign group "Queerspace".

General Manager Daniel McArthur said they did not accept the order because "… it was at odds with our beliefs and with what the Bible teaches".

In a statement, the Equality Commission said: "This case raises issues of public importance regarding the extent to which suppliers of goods and services can refuse service on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief and/or political opinion."

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK in which same-sex marriage is not legal, a position affirmed by an Assembly vote last year.

First Minister Peter Robinson has accused the Equality Commission of spending up to £33,000 to seek court damages of £500 from the bakery's Christian owners.

Thousands of people have attended public meetings and donated to a major fundraising campaign initiated by the Christian Institute, a lobby group supporting the bakery.

A poll published by the Belfast Telegraph this week revealed that 77% of people disagreed with the Commission using public funds to pursue the case.

Ashers Baking Company, named after "bread from Asher" from a verse in the Bible, was founded in 1992, has six branches and employs 60 people.

This week's legal test case in the District Court in Belfast comes two months before the Republic of Ireland holds a referendum on same-sex marriage.