A Christian bakery in Northern Ireland was on Tuesday found guilty of discrimination for refusing to bake a cake advocating gay marriage in a landmark legal case brought by local authorities.
Ashers Baking Company, which takes its name from an Old Testament figure, took the order but declined to make a cake with the bedroom-sharing characters Bert and Ernie from the US television show "Sesame Street".
"The defendants have unlawfully discriminated against the plaintiff on grounds of sexual discrimination," judge Isobel Brownlie told a packed courtroom in Belfast at the end of a high-profile inquiry.
"This is direct discrimination for which there can be no justification," the judge said.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where same-sex marriage remains against the law. Gay marriage is a highly divisive issue in the province, where church attendances in both the Protestant and Catholic communities remain strong.
{{/usCountry}}Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom where same-sex marriage remains against the law. Gay marriage is a highly divisive issue in the province, where church attendances in both the Protestant and Catholic communities remain strong.
{{/usCountry}}The case comes ahead of an historic referendum on Friday that is expected to approve same-sex marriage in the traditionally Catholic Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland's southern neighbour.
The lawsuit was brought by Northern Ireland's Equality Commission, which oversees the implementation of anti-discrimination laws, on behalf of an activist from the advocacy group Queer Space.
The cake was ordered for a private function to mark International Day Against Homophobia last year.
Ashers Bakery, which employs 80 people in Britain and Ireland, received financial backing in the case from the Christian Institute, a charity.
The row has prompted a proposal from some local politicians to include a "conscience clause" in Northern Ireland's anti-discrimination laws.