Bakery refuses to make "gay cake"; faces legal action

Scroll to see replies

I think as it's not like a chain store and is a independent run bakery, surely they can choose whether they want to serve a customers order or not based on their beliefs in this situation. Like the other poster said, they didn't refuse to bake the couple a cake just because they was gay, they refused to bake it because of the slogan that was requested to be put on the cake. I'm sure if the couple wanted a normal cake without the slogan then that would have been fine.

I suppose they would also refuse to make a wedding cake with figures of two grooms or brides hand in hand, as it goes against their beliefs. Is that not homophobic?

Reply 41

thesabbath

Original post by Michael!

In 2007 it became illegal to discriminate people because of their sexual orientation when providing goods and services. Therefore, they broke the law.

The outcome of this law is that some people are more equal than others. Why should homosexuals be the bearers of a "protected characteristic" which will give them State-sponsored immunity? As we can see from this case the privilege is being abused.

Reply 42

fortunesfool

Original post by tengentoppa

They weren't denied anything on the basis of their sexuality. They were denied on the basis that the bakery did not want to endorse a political message. If the gay customer had merely asked for a cake, they would not have been refused.

Firstly, how can you be sure they wouldn't have been refused? You can't look at a person and tell that they are gay, so the business would be unlikely to know anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if they denied a gay couple a bog standard wedding cake as it's 'supporting gay marriage'.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 43

james22

I think the bakery is fine in this case, but only because they refused on the grounds that they did not want to make the message. If they discriminated on the grounds that the customers were gay then they are wrong.

Reply 44

Radicalathiest

Original post by TurboCretin

How is that remotely comparable?

Race and sexuality

Both messages can be considered political messges

so again how would you feel if they had refused a cake with the term 'Black and proud'?

Reply 45

tengentoppa

Original post by Radicalathiest

Would you feel the same way if they had wanted the cake with message 'black and proud' and they were refused?

Original post by Marcum

If they were asked by a mixed race couple to make the little people that go on top of a wedding cake but refused to do so as they disagree with mixed race marriage would you support their right to refuse?

You can't equate those messages to that of the cake. This was the proposed cake:

So a similar request would be a cake saying "support black marriage" or "support interracial marriage". And instead of "queer space" I suppose it would say "****** space". After all, ****** and queer are words that are offensive when not used by blacks and gays respectively, but acceptable when used by those groups.

And I would be perfectly happy for the bakery to not make that cake.

Reply 46

Michael!

Original post by thesabbath

That's just the world we live in. There never will be true equality.

Reply 47

Dani California

This is disgusting. You want to remove their right to choose who they make business with, so someone else can have rights? It's not like they said "you're gay, get out." There is no logic in this,

Reply 48

thesabbath

Original post by Michael!

That's just the world we live in. There is and never will be true equality.

Right, so let us delete the so-called Equality Act from the statute book. It is naught but a piece of misguided social engineering.

Reply 49

james22

Original post by thesabbath

They have no extra rights, it is still illegal to discriminate on the basis of being straight as well as being gay. The law says "sexuality", not being homosexual.

Reply 50

Radicalathiest

Original post by Dani California

This is disgusting. You want to remove their right to choose who they make business with, so someone else can have rights? It's not like they said "you're gay, get out." There is no logic in this,

You want to sell goods you comply with the law and yes that's right we want to remove the rights of peole to discriminate because of sexuality and race, this is a good thing (unless you think discrimination due to race and sexuality are OK)

It's that simple.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 51

Carterj09

What if i opened a bakery, and said NO CHRISTIANS ALLOWED!
There would be uproar.

Reply 52

Dani California

Original post by Radicalathiest

You want to sell goods you comply with the law

It's that simple.

Then the law is wrong. It's that simple.

Reply 53

Everglow

Original post by Radicalathiest

The point is the shop does not get to define what message is acceptable or not on one of the cakes

as I have asked others how would you feel if they had refused a cake with the term 'black and proud' written on it?

So someone could request a cake with a big swastika on it saying 'Nazism rocks' and the bakery would be obliged to make it despite the obviously questionable sentiment?

Don't get me wrong - I'm gay and I would be upset if I ordered my wedding cake with two grooms and it was turned away by a bakery. But something tells me the law protects private companies who do not want to 'act against their beliefs or consciences'.

Reply 54

Radicalathiest

Original post by tengentoppa

You can't equate those messages to that of the cake.

Who get's to decide what is an acceptable message or not?

Reply 55

nohomo

Society's semen crazier day by day

Reply 56

tengentoppa

Original post by fortunesfool

If that were the case, then I would not support the bakery. But you have absolutely no way of knowing that, and those aren't the circumstances here.

Reply 57

Radicalathiest

Original post by Dani California

Then the law is wrong. It's that simple.

So you would be OK with a sign outside of a shop that said 'No Blacks'?

Reply 58

username207685

Original post by Reluire

I don't think the rejection of service was necessarily based on the customer's sexuality, though. I think that it was the nature of the service requested that was rejected. Had the customer, who may or may not have been gay, ordered something more generic like a birthday cake, I don't think they would have been turned away.

This seems rather like the argument that defends the banning of gay marriage as nondiscriminatory because it applies to everyone equally - straight people can't marry people of the same sex either, and gay people are free to marry members of the opposite sex. In any case the same argument could be used to defend refusing to bake a cake for a gay wedding, the order for which might be placed by any straight or a gay person attending or helping to organise a gay wedding, and that would definitely be discriminatory.

If applying a blanket prohibition against everyone primarily affects a subset of the population that share a protected characteristic then it is discrimination, and I doubt this bakery would have much luck arguing otherwise in court.