The owners of a patisserie in Northern Ireland who refused to make a cake promoting gay marriage have received public support from an unexpected source.
A Belfast County Court judge had ruled against Ashers Baking Company for discriminating against gay rights activist Gareth Lee after refusing to bake a cake that said “Support gay marriage”.
Daniel MacArthur and his wife Amy, the owners of Ashers Baking Company, who are evangelicals, refused to make the cake because it conflicts with their religious convictions.
The McArthurs are now heading to the Belfast Court of Appeal this week in an effort to overturn the finding of violation of discrimination laws.
Meanwhile, for the couple who have received the support of Christians around the world, an unexpected source is also coming to their defense.
Peter Tatchell, a prominent gay rights and free speech activist, condemned the judge’s decision. He called it a “troubling precedent.”
“In my opinion, it is a violation of freedom to require companies to help promote ideas that oppose their conscience,” he wrote in The Guardian.
Tachell said he not only works to protect gay rights, but also “freedom of conscience, expression and religion.”
He said he supports the Christian couple because “Lee’s cake request was denied not because he was gay but because of the message he asked for.”
“There is no evidence that his sexuality was the reason the Ashers refused his order,” he said.
Not everyone shares Tachell’s sentiments. Bakers have been subject to online abuse and hate speech.
However, despite the outcry against their decision to follow their convictions, the couple say the experience has been a blessing for their marriage.
Amy McArthur told The Christian Institute that “God has used this to strengthen our marriage and our relationship with God.”
“We have to trust him and we have seen him answer our prayers in time,” he said.
The couple stands by their decision to live their faith in the workplace and remain optimistic that the appeal court will rule in their favor.
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