The Ashers Baking Company, a Christian-run bakery in Belfast, United Kingdom is in danger of facing a court case for refusing a customer's order to make a gay marriage cake featuring the two "Sesame Street" characters, Bert and Ernie. The customer who placed the order is reported to be a gay rights activist.
The 24-year-old general manager of Ashers Baking Company explained that he refused the customer's order because the figures of Bert and Ernie standing side-by-side along with a gay-rights group logo, went against their religious convictions. The manager is reported to have given his customer a full refund after refusing him service. However, the business is now in danger of facing legal action from the Equality Commission, a watchdog company. Six weeks after this incident, the manager received a letter from the organization which stated that he had discriminated a customer on the grounds of his sexual orientation.
Ashers ended up turning to The Christian Institute for legal assistance, explaining what had happened six weeks ago and the contents of the letter from the Equality Commission. Belfast is a city in Northern Ireland which is the only part of the United Kingdom with no same-sex marriage laws.
There have been several similar incidents like this in the U.K. before, and Bert and Ernie, both well-known characters from the popular children's show "Sesame Street" were often used as symbols for gay rights and same-sex marriage.
