So are Christians equal now?

Now we know. The Supreme Court decided that Ashers Bakery’s refusal to bake a cake with the message “Support Gay Marriage” did not amount to discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. But what did the court actually decide and what are its implications for Christians?

Ashers Bakery is a Christian company in Belfast, owned by the McArthurs. Its website says: “Our name comes from the Bible. Asher was a tribe of Israel who had many skilled bakers and created bread fit for a king.” Gareth Lee initially enquired about ordering a cake with a logo on it, saying he was from a small voluntary group, but later produced a colour picture of the Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie (the logo for QueerSpace) with the caption about gay marriage. The bakery refused to fulfil the order as it was a “Christian business”. It was accepted that Mr Lee did not know anything about the McArthurs’ beliefs about marriage and they did not know of his sexual orientation.