Bert and Ernie gay marriage cake refused by Northern Ireland bakery

[Stormdash]

They should say they can't out of respect for copyright and give a smarmy little smile when they do it, if they want to not make the cake.

[Captain N]

Tell me again how this isn't like 1960s America? Just replace African Americans with Homosexuals....but they're still being discriminated against by the same Old White People.

[Orlong]

If they were smart, they wouldve just said they wouldnt make it because the characters are trademarked/copyrighted, and they arent allowed to use them

[Deleted]

I think with non essential things like bakerys, it's okay, but I also think if you want to do this, you should have to have a sign outside saying "NO QUEERS" or "NO BLACKS" or whatever. See how long such places lasted if everyone knew the place they were shopping in discriminated like they used to back in the day, in america with the racism.

[chrisberb]

Why is it that Bakeries seem to be the flash point for gay rights issues? lol

[Deleted]

I think a bakery should do their damn job.

They're a private business. They should be able to serve who they damn well please.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

You cannot compare a bakery to something that you may need to survive.

Surely being denied cake is a breach of human rights, and indeed a matter of determining if life is worth living or not?

[Lysah]

A business does need to have the capacity to decide who they will and won't do business with. Within reason. Saying you won't serve the guy who called your front-line staff "ignorant goddamned fuckheads" is fine, for instance.

Denying service to people over something like sexual orientation, though, isn't one of those acceptable reasons. It's no different than if they'd refused to sell a cake to a black couple because they won't serve black people.

There's a clear difference.

Had they refused to make them a cake because they (the customers) were gay, that would be an issue.

Refusing to make a specific kind of cake is within their rights as a business. They can refuse to make pornographic cakes as well, or cakes depicting gore, or cakes with the color blue, or anything they feel like discriminating against, because cakes do not have rights. Yet.



They can refuse any order they want. If a gay couple walks in and orders a standard cake that they make for thousands of straight couples every day, and they are refused, then there will be an issue worth talking about.

[Rukentuts]

They're a private business. They should be able to serve who they damn well please.

Could you direct me to their membership application please?

[Kujako]

Why is it that Bakeries seem to be the flash point for gay rights issues? lol

Because they're getting married, which means they want a cake.

[Deleted]

If they were smart, they wouldve just said they wouldnt make it because the characters are trademarked/copyrighted, and they arent allowed to use them

What has being smart got to do with anything?

If they're so compelled to stand by their convictions to the extent of refusing business, they should have enough backbone to admit why they're refusing it.

Kudos to them.

[Snorkles]

There's a difference between refusing service because they were gay and refusing to make their cake because they disagreed with it (as stupid as getting upset over a cake may be).

A shop doesn't have to accept your order.

[Saladbar]

You cannot compare a bakery to something that you may need to survive.

Then you agree there are cases where private companies should not be allowed to refuse service to select people.

[Deleted]

I visit family every holiday back in Belfast and just outside, and i can tell you straight up tensions and fights still break-out due to religious inclinations, part of my holiday is spent watching the separate estates fight each other until the police come out.

And of course the various bombing attempts definitely don't take place, or the weapon caches that were found a year or so ago.

I think you are being hilariously dramatic.

Belfast is statistically safer than most UK cities by far , and the rioting that does happen is normally classified under ''Recreational rioting''.
And these riots usually only occur on one day of the year , the 12th of July.

It's almost tradition.

People riot in Belfast when they get bored now , not when they want to be sectarian. Times have changed.

[Deleted]

Could you direct me to their membership application please?

I don't know about that!

I'd hire you if you were a UK citizen though!

[Ghostpanther]

A business does need to have the capacity to decide who they will and won't do business with. Within reason. Saying you won't serve the guy who called your front-line staff "ignorant goddamned fuckheads" is fine, for instance.

Denying service to people over something like sexual orientation, though, isn't one of those acceptable reasons. It's no different than if they'd refused to sell a cake to a black couple because they won't serve black people.

There's a clear difference.

What if they only refused to make a cake with the logo, " Black is better than being White ". But would bake them any normal cake such as for a birthday? In this case they would not be denying service to a black couple per say, but more for a stance they disagreed with. If they deny baking a cake for a gay couple promoting what they disagree with, yet will not deny them normal service....that is also a clear difference.

[Deleted]

they are free to choose who they serve or what they make, the public is also free to boycott them.

All that has to be said.

The group was offered a refund, they are free to order a different cake (they weren't turfed out for being gay, just denied this specific cake design), go elsewhere or even bake their own cake, and encourage others to do the same.

Any company offering a non-essential product or service should be allowed to deny whoever they wish.

To me personally it's not acceptable to do this, but to them and people like them it is. It's not my place to say "you must operate in accordance with my values".

[Kalis]

If you knew anything about Northern Ireland you would probably know that the sectarian groups that still remain here are looked at as a joke.

No point having a discussion on this with you.

They're still attempting to carry out attacks, including some this year, and aren't regarded as a 'joke' by the security forces.

[ro9ue]

I dunno. Lots of privately owned businesses do this for whatver reasons and thats their choice to do so. Everyone also has the choice to boycott/whatever them for doing so. I don't think the law should be involved personally. I don't think anyone has a right to a business's services. I think letting businesses retain discretion is important, regardless how misguided it is.

As you see here, society at large deems this unacceptable and now that business will be affected by their position. As it should be. I don't think the law should have its hands in this at all.

[Deleted]

Then you agree there are cases where private companies should not be allowed to refuse service to select people.

What about a cake depicting stoning adulterers to death? I bet most secular bakeries would refuse to do that as well.