Cake Off?

[douglas9401]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45789759

The road to common sense is paved with tenners.

[Kromovaracun]

Will be interested to read the judges' explanation. Baking a cake is a professional service, and it is (or rather, should be) illegal to discriminate against people based on their sexuality.

[Bazile]

Krom

//..Baking a cake is a professional service, and it is (or rather, should be) illegal to discriminate against people based on their sexuality..//

But they did not discriminate against the guy's sexuality , and did not refuse to perform their professional service - i.e. to bake a cake

[Kromovaracun]

Unless I've seriously misunderstood this, I think that they did refuse to perform the service.

//His order was initially accepted at a branch of Ashers in Belfast city centre, but two days later the baking firm's head office contacted Mr Lee to say the firm would not make the cake.//

I understand the free speech argument about the slogan, but I don't find it very convincing. The only possible reason that they could think the slogan is inconsistent with their faith is if they think being gay is wrong.

[jim360]

https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2017-0020-judgment.pdf

" In a nutshell, the objection was to the message and not to any particular person or persons." [para 34]

The SC's argument essentially is that if anyone could have walked in and asked for the cake to be baked, and the reply was the same (ie, "no"), then there's no discrimination against the person making the request.

[Kromovaracun]

I suppose by the letter of the law (which is whst they were ruling on), that makes sense. I don't think this sets a happy precedent though.

[jim360]

I haven't read the judgement in full, but I'm interested to note that in paragraphs 59-62 of the judgement, full and considered attention has been given to a similar case that was recently brought to the US Supreme Court.

[Kromovaracun]

Do you have a link to it? I'd like to read it. Maybe I'm being stupid but I didn't notice a link in the article.

[jim360]

I provided the link above already.

[ChillDoubt]

Imagine the furore if the baking company had offered to make fairy cakes instead......

[Kromovaracun]

Ah, sorry, Jim.

[SparklyKid]

A victory for common sense, and decency.

[jackthehat]

Nothing whatsoever to do with decency.....although I suspect that the ruling is, in the final analysis, the correct one.

[hereIam]

Glad they won.

[sp1814]

Decency???

[SparklyKid]

Absolutely decency. A respect for a normal persons beliefs and civilised outlooks.

[Bazile]

krom

//...The only possible reason that they could think the slogan is inconsistent with their faith is if they think being gay is wrong.//

Well yes - that is what they believe

[douglas9401]

Peter Tatchell agrees with the ruling. Case closed.

[gulliver1]

Where was" Mrs Cakeworthy" on that day ?.

[naomi24]

Good news.

[Theland]

Indeed common sense prevails.
Imagine a Jewish baker being asked to put a swastika on a cake?