Hollywood star Sir Patrick Stewart stated in a recent BBC interview that he supports the Christian bakers who refused to bake a cake with a picture of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie and the phrase "Support gay marriage."
The actor who starred in "X-Men" and "Star Trek" said he believes the bakers had the right to refuse service to customers if the order went against their beliefs, The Blaze reported.
"It was not because it was a gay couple that they objected — it was not because they were celebrating some kind of marriage or an agreement between them. It was the actual words on the cake that they objected to, because they found the words offensive. And I would support their rights to say, 'No, this is personally offensive to my beliefs. I will not do it'," he said.
Daniel McArthur, general manager of the bakery, said, "Our issue was with the message on the cake, not with the customer, and we didn't know what the sexual orientation of Mr. Lee was, and it wasn't relevant either."
Their company refused to be forced to promote a message contrary to their Christian beliefs, he said.
Ashers Baking Company, located in Northern Ireland, was declared guilty of discrimination and was ordered to pay $765 for "injury to feelings."
Owners Colin and Karen McArthur filed an appeal to the ruling "after much careful and prayerful consideration."
The cake was ordered by Gareth Lee for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The bakery accepted the order initially but cancelled the order two days later.
According to Fox News, Judge Isobel Brownlie, who ruled the bakers guilty, said, "the defendants are not a religious organization. They are conducting a business for profit and, notwithstanding their genuine religious beliefs, there are no exceptions available under the 2006 regulations which apply to this case."
