This just in from the Christian Institute
The Christian owners of a guesthouse who restrict double rooms to married coupes have been ordered to pay £3,600 in damages to a homosexual couple, but leave to appeal has been granted. Earlier today His Hon. Judge Andrew Rutherford declared it was unlawful for Peter and Hazelmary Bull to operate their policy and deny a double room to civil partners Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy. The judge ruled that under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations, introduced under the previous Government, civil partnerships must be treated in the same way as marriage. However, the judge gave the Bulls permission to appeal, saying that his ruling “does affect the human rights of the defendants to manifest their religion and forces them to act in a manner contrary to their deeply and genuinely held beliefs.”
Now, before we all jump too quickly to denounce the verdict it's worth noting that the judge actually did Christians a favour here. Given the current law in the UK he really had no option but to find for the complainants (although there might be some distinction yet to be drawn between a full business and a private home. But he also seems to be encouraging an appeal, noting that there are bigger issues at stake here that are, one assumes, beyond his direct remit. I don't doubt the Bulls will appeal this case and the UK will begin to have a proper discussion in the law courts about the conflicting “human” rights being imposed upon its citizens and their own right to hold a religious position in good conscience.
Watch this space.
Leave a Reply