[transgendernews] [News] [UK] C of E queries Government’s new ideas for equality laws
Stephanie Stevens
Church Times, UK
Issue 7540 - 14 September, 2007
C of E queries Government's new ideas for equality laws
by a staff reporter
[PHOTO; Protest: religious groups demonstrate at Westminster as the
House of Lords debate Sexual Orientation Regulations in January this
year PA PIC]
THE Archbishops' Council is concerned that new equality legislation
could discriminate against religion.
It expressed its views in a 14-page response to the Government's
consultation paper A Framework for Fairness, which proposes gathering
existing anti-discrimination legislation into a single Act.
The government paper also suggests that the process might involve
updating the legislation to include, for example, discrimination
against people on grounds of genetic characteristics. It also asks
questions about some existing exceptions to legislation, such as the
right of religions to discriminate against people who have undergone
gender reassignment.
In its response, the Archbishops' Council questions the need for more
legislation. It warns: "Harmonisation may complicate rather than
simplify, particularly when it levels up requirements. . . Unless
there is a very substantial gain in terms of clarity and
simplification, it will create further frustrations."
The Archbishops' Council says it is concerned that religious belief is
seen as a lesser right than others. "The argument appears to be that,
because religion and belief is susceptible of personal choice in a way
that is not the same in relation to other strands, that means that
religion and belief should be subordinate to those other strands when
they come into conflict.
"We think that this is a false analysis. The preservation of religious
freedom, including the right to manifest religious belief in all
its diversity, remains a cornerstone of an open, liberal and tolerant society."
Eliminating expressions of a particular religion does not lead to
equal respect for all religions, the response says: "Rather it amounts
to an enforced secularism that fails to respect religious belief at
all."
The main focus of the Archbishops' Council's response is sexuality. It
states that, were the Government to extend the rights of homosexuals
in society, "it would be crucial to ensure that a religion's followers
. . . continued to be able to express the views of their faith about
homosexual conduct, including challenging people to lead lives
consistent with the teaching of the Church.
"To deny Christians (and followers of other faiths which take a
similar view) such a right would amount to an unjustified interference
with the right to manifest religious belief."
Northern Ireland judgment. On Tuesday, a High Court judge in Belfast
set aside a harassment provision in the Sexual Orientation
Regulations, which might have prevented Christians from expressing
their disapproval of homosexuality in the provision of goods and
services.
Mr Justice Weatherup said: "I am satisfied that the regulations do not
treat Evangelical Christians less favourably than others."
Nevertheless, he struck out the harassment provision, which would have
applied only in Northern Ireland. It remains illegal to withhold goods
and services on the basis of sexuality.
The chief executive of the gay-rights campaigning group Stonewall, Ben
Summerskill, said: "It is a small Pyrrhic victory for the Christian
fundamentalist organisations that a very small part of the
regulations, that we are not convinced are actually needed, have been
struck out on the basis that they are not in place in the rest of the
UK."
The judgment was welcomed by Colin Hart of the Christian Institute, a
conservative pressure group. "It means that freedom of speech is
preserved."
A Framework for Fairness is at:
www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/322980. The
Archbishops' Council's response is at: www.cofe.anglican.org (news).
(c) Church Times 2006 - All rights reserved
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=44449
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h/t BLS R af D
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