You have no doubt been following this high-profile story in the media. And now there’s a new twist. Here’s a reminder of what’s happened so far.
Back in May 2014, gay rights activist, Gareth Lee, ordered a cake at Ashers in Belfast city centre.
The cake was for a private function run by Queer Space, the LGBT advocacy group, to mark the International Day Against Homophobia. The iced design featured Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street, with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’.
Initially, the order was accepted and Gareth paid in full.
However, Ashers is a Christian-owned bakers who said the slogan was inconsistent with their deeply held religious beliefs.
Two days later, they contacted Gareth to say they could not process the order because of the message requested.
Gareth took a case against Ashers, with support from Northern Ireland’s Equality Commission.
In 2015, District Judge Isobel Brownlie ruled that the firm’s refusal was discriminatory because religious beliefs cannot dictate the law, and Ashers was ordered to pay damages of £500.
The firm mounted an appeal, saying they never had an issue with Gareth’s sexuality, only with the message he wanted to put on the cake.
It is illegal for someone to discriminate against you because of your sexual orientation. But is refusing to make a pro-gay marriage cake a breach of equality laws?
The Supreme Court (the UK’s highest court) was due to consider the legal arguments and make a judgment at a two-day hearing in October 2017 but this has now been delayed until May 2018.
We await the outcome with interest.
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