LONDON (Sputnik) — A Belfast court ruled on Tuesday that a Christian-run bakery in Northern Ireland, which refused to provide a customer with a cake containing a pro-gay marriages caption on it, is guilty of discrimination, the court said in a statement.
The plaintiff, a homosexual male named Gareth Lee, ordered a cake with the caption in support of gay marriages meant for a private event in the bakery earlier in May. In a few days, the bakery said it was unable to fulfil the order, as the bakers were Christians and could not support gay marriages, which is at odds with their beliefs.
"Presiding District Judge Brownlie today gave judgment in favour of Gareth Lee and found that Ashers Bakery unlawfully discriminated against him in refusing to accept his order for a cake bearing the caption 'Support Gay Marriage,'" the statement reads.
The bakery's owner, Daniel McArthur, told reporters that "we certainly don't think we've done anything wrong."
Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where same-sex marriages are illegal.
The court hearing has caused wide public controversy, especially due to the fact that a referendum on the possibility of same-sex marriages is due to be held in Northern Ireland in three days.
A member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Paul Givan, has called the lawsuit against bakery an attack on Christianity.
