Green Party condemns moves to delay goods and services equality and welcomes House of Lords vote
Should a lesbian pupil be expelled from a faith school because of her sexuality?
Is it right that a faith-run homeless hostel can stop housing someone because they're gay?
The answer to both of these questions is 'yes' if the Government waters down new legislation.
The Government is putting regulations before Parliament which will make it illegal for the providers of goods and services to discriminate against lesbian and gay people. However there has been a huge campaign led by religious organizations to water down the regulations.
Yesterday a protest was organised by religious organisations to coincide with a debate in the House of Lords on the regulations passed in Northern Ireland in December. The debate was led by Lord Morrow who wants to eliminate the regulations, which will come into force throughout the rest of the UK later this year.
The planned legal protection offered by the new regulations is being vociferously challenged by Christian, Judaist and Muslim fundamentalists who want exemptions for religious organisations to continue to treat the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) communities like second-class citizens.
In real terms if these exceptions are enacted they could allow, for example, faith schools to expel LGB pupils or faith-based homeless charities to forbid access to LGB homeless people.
Welcoming the House of Lords' decisive rejection, last night, of the move to suspend the Northern Ireland regulations, Phelim Mac Cafferty a gay Green Party activist in Brighton and Hove , commented: "Some of the protesters include 'The Lawyers' Christian Fellowhip', which is against the outlawing of harassment against gay people; another is the 'Christian Concern for our Nation' which does not view homosexual relationships as equal to heterosexual ones.
"They want to hold onto the right to discriminate against LGB people and it's simply unacceptable that these organisations could now hold the Government to ransom over the long-promised equality for the LGB communities."
"This is not about forcing religious organisations to comply to any way of thinking, rather it establishes that the protections that those very organisations have in law are granted to the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities too."
"The Green Party condemns any moves to water down the goods, facilities and services regulations. We call on the Government to now stand up to the bigots and make these regulations law."
ENDS
Notes:
i. The regulations are due to be implemented for the rest of the UK in the coming months.
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