"Truly Poisonous" Campaign by Christians to Rob Gay People of Their Rights

KENILWORTH, 29 NOVEMBER 2006 — A “truly poisonous” campaign is being waged by Christians to render unusable legislation that would protect gay people from discrimination in the provision of goods and services, says the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA).

Commenting on the increasing religious pressure being applied to the Government to amend the sexual orientation regulations to allow people to disregard them on the grounds of “conscience” or religious belief, GALHA’s secretary, George Broadhead, said:

“This is a truly poisonous campaign by a large number of Christian organisations ranging from the fringes to the mainstream. They are seeking to rob gay people of their basic right to protection from unjust treatment.”

Mr Broadhead says that the Christian activists are buoyed up by their success in battering British Airways into submission over the wearing of a cross. “Now they are coming for gay rights,” said Mr Broadhead. “It is essential that there is a massive resistance to this religious pressure or the Government may cave in to it. I sincerely hope that the gay community can mount a more effective fightback than BA did.”

A coalition of religious leaders took out a full-page advertisement in The Times demanding that the Government insert a clause into the regulations that would allow opt-outs on grounds of conscience or religious belief. Mr Broadhead said that this could mean almost anything. “Everyone has a conscience – does that mean that it would be okay for the BNP to disregard the regulations because they have a conscientious objection to homosexuals? The advertisement is deceitful, misleading and manipulative.”

The Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols, and the Anglican Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, have both threatened that their churches will withdraw co-operation with the Government in the provision of services such as night shelters and youth clubs. Mr Broadhead said: “This is blackmail pure and simple. To threaten to withdraw services from needy people in order to get your way politically is appalling. I hope that the Government will respond by withdrawing all the money they pay to these organisations to run these services.”