Story highlights Christian bakers refused to decorate a cake which supported same-sex marriage

Lee said he's relieved and grateful to the Court of Appeal

(CNN) Christian bakers who refused to make a cake that supported same-sex marriage lost their appeal of the ruling that found they discriminated against the man who ordered the cake.

A Northern Ireland appeal court Monday upheld the 2015 ruling against Ashers Baking Company, saying it "had directly discriminated against Gareth Lee on grounds of sexual orientation by refusing to make a cake supporting same-sex marriage."

Lee had requested a cake featuring Muppets characters Bert and Ernie and a message in favor of same-sex marriage.

The bakery refused to make the cake because the message conflicted with the owners' Christian beliefs, they said.

In court on Monday, judges rejected Ashers' appeal, adding that the bakery wouldn't be endorsing a message by agreeing to make the cake: "The fact that a baker provides a cake for a particular team or portrays witches on a Halloween cake does not indicate any support for either."

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