Christian Innkeepers Found Guilty For Turning Away Gay Couple

By Al Webb
Religion News Service

LONDON (RNS) Two Christian innkeepers have been convicted of sexual discrimination for refusing to allow a gay couple to share a double room at their hotel in Cornwall, England.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull also were ordered by the Bristol County court to pay 3,600 pounds (about $5,700) for turning civil partners Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy away from their bed and breakfast.

The hoteliers had argued they were trying "to live and work in accordance with our Christian faith" when they refused to let the two men share a bed.

"Our double-bed policy was based on our sincere beliefs about marriage, not hostility to anybody," Hazelmary Bull told the court. She insisted the policy "was applied equally and consistently to unmarried heterosexual couples and homosexual couples."

But Judge Andrew Rutherford said the Bulls' views were outdated and violated Britain's Equality Act of 2007.

"It is inevitable that laws will, from time to time, cut across the deeply held beliefs of individuals and sections of society, so they reflect the social attitudes and morals prevailing at the time they are made," the judge said in his 12-page ruling.

"Not so very long ago," he added, "these beliefs would have been those accepted as normal by society at large. Now it is the other way around."

Keith Porteous Wood of the National Secular Society hailed the judge's decision, saying "the court has resisted the pernicious claim that exercising conscience -- be it Christian or any other kind -- is a carte blanche to defy the law."

But Mike Judge, spokesman for Britain's Christian Institute, argued in a statement that "this ruling is further evidence that equality laws are being used as a sword rather than a shield," and that "Christians are being sidelined."

Hazelmary Bull said the ruling showed "Christianity is being marginalized in Britain ... Much is said about 'equality and diversity,' but it seems some people are more equal than others."

Comments

[BobSF94117]

11:27 PM on 03/16/2011

In most places in the U.S., owners of B&Bs are allowed to discriminate in ways in which larger businesses are not. The same is true for people who live in a place and rent out a room and for landlords who own a small building -- two or three units -- and live in one of them. They are allowed to choose "not to live with those people".

It's a fair compromise, I think. One not available in the UK.

Of course, if we're talking about the U.S., that's not the most important difference. In most of this country, you're completely free to discriminate against gay people any which way you want. Most states have no protections for us. At all. Period.

[Razpooten]

03:09 PM on 03/02/2011

I wonder how this couple would feel if the big macho David ( the guy who slew Goliath), asked for a room to share with his "brother," Jonathan?
"26. I am distressed for you, my brohter Jonathan. You have been very pleasand to me: your love to me was wonderful. Surpassing the love of women." 2nd Samuel 1:26, 27

[springsm]

11:40 PM on 02/28/2011

No room in the Inn is the story....and they were not christians, they were greedy inn keepers.  What a sad commentary on their Christian beliefs.  Don't they know that Jesus went to the downtrodden, sick, samaritans, gentiles and offered them all he had.  Good grief.

[Razpooten]

03:10 PM on 03/02/2011

Well, technically they were, christian-greedy-inn keepers.

[SaneThoughts]

10:36 PM on 02/28/2011

Your religious beliefs don't supersede you business license. If you don't understand that then you should be sued until you do.

[Godfearing]

12:38 PM on 02/18/2011

Some Christians tell us that gays, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Deists, Hindus, etc., will not get to their heaven! Since there at a numerous amount of black Christians, I wonder if their heaven has a coloreds only and whites only section? Being an Atheist makes more sense to me everyday.

[springsm]

11:40 PM on 02/28/2011

Please do not categorize all christians in this manner. 

[TiredInPDX]

12:52 AM on 03/17/2011

You must have missed the word Some.

[JSDKoeln]

03:34 AM on 02/11/2011

Religion is a choice. Being Gay isn't. Case closed.

[springsm]

11:42 PM on 02/28/2011

Absolutely..but these two will call being gay "a choice lifestyle" because they tend to wrap themselves in whatever they can to call it following God's word.  Bogus as all get out.

[bluntobject]

04:04 PM on 02/10/2011

Peter and Hazelmary Bull?
 
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!
 
I hope that cut into their beer and cigarette budget for the entire year.

[LiberalOutlaw]

05:26 PM on 02/06/2011

Even though it seems like the Huffington Post is almost completely infested by republithug and liberturd trolls, I thought I would throw out a related piece of news.

With the economy in the crapper, and the unemployment rate going up, we are dealing with more homeless people than the government can take care of...SUPPOSEDLY.

Of course, IMHO if we would stop blowing money on pointless wars and tax breaks (corporate welfare) for the uber rich, then maybe we would have some for our most vulnerable citizens.

But alas, it seems that the role of taking care of our vulnerable citizens has fallen to the "private sector"...a republithug wet dream.

But the ironically named "House of Mercy" has publically stated that it refuses to take in anybody who is gay.

BUT this shelter receives government money. You can't have it both ways. You can't spit in the face of Civil Rights and still get government cash.

So for anyone that gives a damn, there is a petition you can sign, asking the government to take that money away from the homophobic "shelter" and give it to more egalitarian shelters.

http://news.change.org/stories/georgia-shelter-confirms-gay-people-deserve-to-be-homeless

[DevonTexas]

03:45 PM on 02/06/2011

"Christianity is being marginalized in Britain..."

It's not Xianity being marginalized, the court decided that bigotry would be marginalized. It didn't say they couldn't be Xian, they just can't discriminate.

Beside, their policy was based on a concept of protecting "marriage". This was a couple who had a civil union "marriage". Do they check the marriage license of every guest before they assign a room?

[DD2005]

04:04 AM on 02/05/2011

I agree with the innkeepers. It's their business. They should have the right to chose who stays and who goes. They invested their own money into that businessI presume so boo hoo for the couple that was refused a room.

[DevonTexas]

03:47 PM on 02/06/2011

Does that go for lunch counters, too? It's a public accomodation and should be free of discrimination. As I asked, above, did they check for a marriage license with every guest? I don't think so. They discriminated against this couple. Case closed... obviously.

[bluntobject]

04:05 PM on 02/10/2011

Cretin.

[Darren J Cohen]

01:03 PM on 02/02/2011

How is it that every time Christians are prevented from discriminating against others, they pretend that they're the victims of discrimination? Your religion doesn't give you carte blanche to break the law. You are not allowed to stone gays to death even though your bible tells you to, and you're not allowed to deny them use of your business based on their sexuality. Those limitations on your religion don't translate to discrimination. They are the prevention of discrimination.

[DevonTexas]

03:48 PM on 02/06/2011

Sorta like the bully crying about being victimized because he can't bully who he wants, eh?

[SteveDenver]

03:27 AM on 01/29/2011

They would probably have turned away Jesus and his 12 boyfriends.

[DD2005]

04:04 AM on 02/05/2011

Typical response ... you must be gay.

[Americatheteenager]

05:19 PM on 02/05/2011

and, given the quality of your response, you must be one of those intolerant meddling Xtians we have to deal with all the time.

[bluntobject]

04:08 PM on 02/10/2011

And YOU must be a bigot.

[Razpooten]

03:14 PM on 03/02/2011

Or David (King) and his boyfriend Jonathan - (2nd Samuel 1:26,27)

[BronOB]

06:56 PM on 01/26/2011

My brother in-law went to a gay bar (a public business) with gay friends and was kicked out because wasn't gay. Would he have the right to put the owners on a charge? Is this considered discrimination? (Oh and he wasn't doing anything wrong by the way.)

[mercury613]

07:16 PM on 01/26/2011

It would absolutely be considered discrimination, and if that ever happened to one of my friends who is not gay, I would never give that establishment my business again. Your brother-n-law should have sued.

[capercaper]

07:54 PM on 01/26/2011

What does Australian law say about it?

[mercury613]

04:39 PM on 01/26/2011

capercaper: Are you aware that there are many gay-friend­ly businesses whose proprietor­s/staff intentiona­lly seek to make "tradition­al' heterosexu­al patrons who are otherwise minding their own business uncomforta­ble?
--------

Really? Please name a few, then.

[capercaper]

06:36 PM on 01/26/2011

Not that *I* patronise, thank you.

[mercury613]

06:38 PM on 01/26/2011

In other words, your claim is baseless.

[TeamSanity]

03:28 AM on 01/26/2011

The main issue here is that this couple is running a business. Anti-discrimination laws exist so that law-abiding people can use the goods and services offered by businesses.

If they think homosexuality is wrong, they should go into another line of work.

[capercaper]

12:35 PM on 01/26/2011

It means that businesses must be gay friendly but not friendly to those who do not condone openly gay behavior.

So all business must publically accommodate gay sexual behavior, according to the UK law.

And the gay community can choose to treat those people who don't condone their behavior any way they want to? They can't work in public? Can't own businesses? OK to call them names like breeders and myth believers, act rudely? Make fun of them? Bully them? Where will it stop?

[mercury613]

02:39 PM on 01/26/2011

If someone wants to run a hotel, they have to follow anti-discrimination law. Period. Sex happens behind closed doors. Your argument has no merit.

And before you start talking about name calling and bullying, you may want to look into the long history of persecution of gays by religious groups. If we start making a list of offenses, we both know which side will have the (much, much) longer list.

[Fucue]

04:17 PM on 01/26/2011

What are you babbling about? Anyone can work anywhere.