British Official Warns Hotels: Don't Discriminate Against Gays
Meg Munn, a minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government has warned businesses, particularly Muslim or Christian hotels, that if they turn away gay people they face stiff penalties, reports the Telegraph:
"If gays are turned away, the only way a Christian or Muslim guest house owner can lawfully stay in business is if he or she offers single bedrooms to all guests - straight or gay. Miss Munn said a wedding photographer who refused a gay wedding booking should take up portrait photography instead, while a chauffeur who declined to work with homosexuals must specialise in corporate travel."
While the new legislation has been criticized by some because it forces Muslims and Christians with anti-gay religious beliefs to "conform to the Government's new morality," others have no sympathy and say they must obey the law.
Said Giles Fraser, the vicar of Putney and a leading Church of England liberal: "It is nonsense for the Government to allow any loopholes for religious homophobia. Bigotry is bigotry whether it's dressed up in the language of faith or not."
Warning shot for hotels over gay couples [the telegraph]
Posted Jul. 30,2007 at 3:45 PM EST by Andy Towle in Discrimination, Great Britain, Hotels, Travel | Permalink
So where do I get in line to move to the UK? Has there EVER been a US politician who has so vociferously and matter-of-factly stood up for the gay community and the notion of equality under the law?
Day by day, it gets harder and harder to stay here.
Posted by: Jonathon | Jul 30, 2007 3:55:06 PM
God Bless the UK!
Posted by: y_mee | Jul 30, 2007 3:56:08 PM
Wow, the UK rocks.
Posted by: Rey | Jul 30, 2007 4:08:27 PM
PM Brown is talking about a written constitution for Britain with something like a Bill of Rights. I doubt it will include a 4th amendment though.
This is a bit odd, given that the UK has a state religion. I suppose that the PM can change church doctrine however he likes, though Brown has promised to remove the PM's office from making too many church decisions in the future, particularly the appointment of Bishops.
Issues of granularity come up here. Will gays get their choice of rooms? Will they receive good service? Will they receive normal discounts? Just making hotels open up will not end discrimination or change people's attitudes. Then there is the reverse case, will hotels be able to cater exclusively to gay clientele?
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Jul 30, 2007 5:02:29 PM
I applaud the UK for this law but for the life of me I can't imagine why a gay person would want to give his/her money to a person who hates them.
I can certainly understand why gay people want it to be illegal for anyone to deny them service based on their sexual orientation but I just don't get why a gay person would want to financially support a homophobe who would want to deny them service.
I would much rather support businesses, and business owners, who support me.
Posted by: Zeke | Jul 30, 2007 9:16:02 PM
Hooray for common sense in the application of law and fairness!
After all, why should the people who hate gays so much they want to avoid them their whole life long mind if it inconveniences them a bit?
After all, it's the senseless hatred of gay people that makes gay couples have to make 1,100 separate agreements in order to approximate marriage. And distant relatives still can take a will to court and impoverish the survivor of a gay couple just because they think it's the right thing to do...
So this legal advice is really a breakthrough in fairness.
Posted by: bamjaya | Jul 30, 2007 11:47:10 PM
The UK's government and people just happen to think equality is of the utmost importance. It doesn't mean squat here. Apparently there's nothing in the bible about playing fair, or that isn't emphasized enough that Amerikkkan's consider it an important priority.
Posted by: Johnny | Jul 31, 2007 5:52:06 AM
Just because we might not want to stay in their uptight, fleapit hotels, doesn't mean they should be allowed to refuse us lodging on the basis of their prejudices. The principal is more important than whether it's exercised.
By the way, that's my mum's vicar in the article. He's a lovely bloke. There are a lot of lovely blokes (and women) in the Church of England - but an unfortunate number of nutters too...
Posted by: James | Jul 31, 2007 7:25:02 AM
These hotels are completely privately owned, right? In that case, I disagree with the law, good as the intentions behind it may be. Private business owners should be allowed to admit or refuse anyone for any reason, including that person's being gay, black, white, straight, et cetera. Bigotry is a right.
Posted by: DCN | Jul 31, 2007 6:43:10 PM