Scotland’s Ashers Bakery has received a backlash of emails, after it has repeatedly been mistaken for the Belfast bakery involved in the ‘gay cake’ row.
The Nairn-based bakery near Inverness, told British Baker that since Ashers Bakery in Belfast refused to bake a cake for a gay man, it has received ‘hundreds’ of emails either criticising or supporting the case.
The two bakeries are not related to each other, but simply share the same name.
George Asher, joint managing director of the Scottish bakery, said: “They have obviously googled Ashers Bakery and we are the first business to come up.
“We just tell them that they have got the wrong bakery and redirect them to Ashers in Belfast.”
While the business has not seen any sales boost off the back of the accidental publicity, George assumes it must have seen a spike in traffic on the website.
The legal battle disputes the decision of Ashers Bakery, Belfast, to turn down an order for a cake with an image of Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie below the motto Support Gay Marriage.
Christian charity the Christian Institute is backing Ashers in the case, which it said proved the need for the law to reasonably accommodate family-run businesses with firmly held beliefs.
The cake, ordered to celebrate International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on17 May 2014, was supplied by another bakery.
The bakery involved was found guilty of discrimination towards the gay man today.
Ashers Bakery of Nairn won Scottish Baker of the Year for 2014, and gave a talk at the Scottish Bakers conference this year.
Below: The Belfast based Ashers Bakery involved in the gay cake row
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