"'Gay cake' row: born-again Christian bakers lose court appeal", 24 Oct 2016

A bakery in Northern Ireland owned by evangelical Christians has lost an appeal to overturn a conviction that found it guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a pro-gay-marriage themed cake. The court of appeal in Belfast on Monday upheld a previous judgemnt last year that Ashers Bakery had discriminated against a customer on the grounds of sexual orientation.  The family-owned firm in the original case was also ordered to pay £500 compensation...In delivering their judgment, [Northern Ireland’s lord chief justice] rejected the argument...that the bakery would have been endorsing gay marriage equality by baking the cake...Following the judgment, Daniel McArthur, flanked by his wife Amy, said : “This ruling undermines democratic freedom, religious freedom and freedom of speech.”...During a four-day hearing at the court of appeal in Belfast earlier this year, lawyers for the McArthur family said they challenged the finding because in their eyes it would have been sinful for them to complete the order...