Government Promises Employment Protection for Everyone – Except Gays

The Government has agreed that it will be legal for religious organisations to discriminate against homosexuals in employment. A draft European Union employment directive that seeks to offer legal protection from discrimination in employment is to be amended so as to water down protection on the grounds of sexual orientation.

The directive – the first ever to specifically offer protection to gay people – was debated in the House of Lords on Friday (30th June). Government spokesperson Baroness Blackstone caved in to demands from Lady Young and the Christian Institute that organisations that have a “religious ethos” should be able to exclude gay people from employment.

Baroness Blackstone, who is Minister of State for Education and Employment, said in the Lords that there was a concern that: “the employment directive might require religious organisations that believe homosexual activity is wrong to open all jobs to practising homosexuals. The Government accept that difference in treatment in such circumstances may be justifiable.”

The scale of the proposed anti-gay discrimination became clear during the debate when the number of jobs that would be off-limits to gay people was listed. Among others, church schools, religious hospitals, hospices, welfare organisations, children’s homes, the Boys’ Brigade, the Church Army, the Salvation Army hostels, Sue Ryder Homes, will effectively be able to turn gay people away from employment. In effect, millions of jobs could be ring-fenced to exclude gay people.

George Broadhead, speaking for the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA), said: “This is very alarming. Millions of jobs could be denied to gay people. Church schools represent 33 per cent of teaching establishments in this country – tens of thousands of teaching posts. There must already be hundreds, if not thousands, of gay teachers employed by church schools, not to mention those working in old people’s homes, day centres and charities run by religious organisations. Many of these jobs are financed by the taxpayer, not by the religious organisations. If these amendments are made to the directive, it would be legal to sack gay people working in establishments operated by religious bodies.

“Mr Blair must not be allowed to sacrifice gay people’s right to earn a living on the altar of religious bigotry. It must not be allowed to happen.”

The Government is proposing a voluntary code of practice in employment to give protection for gay people, to be worked out by the Equal Opportunities Commission. But the GALHA spokesperson said: “This is wholly inadequate and renders gay people once more second class citizens. While other minorities will receive full legal protection in their jobs, gay people are to be excluded from complete equality and fobbed off with a voluntary code.”