Christians back Discrimination against Gays

The Christian Institute is trying to ensure that discrimination against gays at work will continue, despite new protection laws.

The Newcastle-based religious pressure group has issued advice to Christian groups about how to get round the proposed new laws that will ban discrimination against gay people at work.

In its latest Update, the Christian Institute says that when the new legislation comes into effect it will “forbid any discrimination on the grounds of religion or sexual orientation [...] the directive may result in Churches and Christian organisations being forced to employ atheists or practising homosexuals.”

It urges Christian groups to prepare for the new employment law by altering trust deeds and founding documents to ensure that it is clear what they expect from staff “in terms of belief and conduct”. It also says that employment contracts and staff policies must “make clear that staff are required to live out the faith [...] They must also state what forms of immorality may result in disciplinary proceedings or dismissal.”

Terry Sanderson, a spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) said: “This is a disgraceful attempt by the Christian Institute to create loopholes before the law is even enacted. They say they are protecting religious freedom in wanting to retain the right to refuse employment to gay people and non-believers, but protecting their freedom seems to mean institutionalising discrimination against those they don’t approve of. When you consider the number of jobs that religious groups control – in schools, welfare organisations, old people’s homes, drug rehabilitation units and even AIDS hospices like Mildmay – it should not be possible for them to ring-fence all these employment opportunities for their own kind. The Government must take this into account when framing the new law and not allow religious groups to wangle their way out of it. Earning a living is a fundamental human right, and it must not be sacrificed for the sake of some kind of spurious ‘religious freedom’.”

The Department of Trade and Industry, which is steering this legislation, will launch a consultation on it within the next two weeks. GALHA urges all gay people to respond. Terry Sanderson said: “The Christian Institute managed to get 12,000 people to write in protest when this was being discussed in the European Union. We must match that this time round, and we must make clear that we expect true equality in employment. We will not be happy with some kind of ‘modified equality’ in order to satisfy religious bigots.”