I knew we could count on Captain Jean-Luc Picard to defend liberty. Here’s Patrick Stewart — as part of a wide-ranging interview — defending a Christian baker who wouldn’t put a pro-gay-marriage message on a cake (relevant portion starts at 34 seconds):
The interviewer declares he wants to “test” Stewart and poses a question regarding a Northern Ireland county court’s ruling against a baker who refused to bake a cake supporting gay marriage. While not precisely analogous to the multiple cases here in the U.S., one would expect — especially in the age of intolerance — for Stewart to side with the court. Not so fast:
“Finally I found myself on the side of the bakers,” he said. “It was not because this was a gay couple they objected, it was not because they were going to be celebrating some kind of marriage, it was the actual words on the cake they objected to, they found them offensive.
“I would support their right to say, ‘No, this is personally offensive to my beliefs, I [will] not do it.’ But I feel bad for them that it cost them [500] quid.”
As the captain of the USS Enterprise (flagship of the United Federation of Planets, no less), Stewart of course wields far more clout than the average celebrity. Ok, well, maybe not, but a flash of celebrity good sense is still encouraging — and worth posting. Well done, Captain.