I've just been alerted to this nonsense by Synesis: new legislation is supposed to extend gay rights to not being discriminated against in the areas of hospitality, healthcare and adoption, among other things. However, the Cabinet is now split over what to do about homophobic religious organisations who do not want to offer their services to gay and lesbian people.
There is no excuse for homophobia in any context - if you take the fact that being gay is completely natural and the fact that according to monotheist theology, their god created everything including gays, then clearly he must have made them gay, so it's completely illogical (not to mention immoral) to say that gayness is wrong.
And people wonder why I say that Christianity is dangerous. Not necessarily Christians - some of them have transcended this nonsense and embraced an inclusive ethic - but Christianity as it is taught in the Bible.
You can't enact a piece of legislation and then allow a huge swathe of the population to ignore it. Although, as Synesis points out, gay people probably wouldn't want to spend their money with homophobic organisations anyway. But, as happened to a gay couple last year who booked a room in a guesthouse and then when they turned up, the owner turned them away, you might not know it was homophobic till you got there. And then you'd be left standing in the rain with nowhere to go.
If, after reading this, you still don't understand why I think Christianity is dangerous, read this as well.
3 comments:
Homophobic Christians are potentially dangerous but please don't assume that all Christians are like that. The bible has plenty of good stuff as well as bad stuff and the average believer is sensible enough to put these things in context. Check out this site for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement: http://www.lgcm.org.uk/ and go to 'But the Bible' (down the left hand side) to view our counter arguments (this may also be of help to any gay Christians having trouble that happen across this post). Peace x
I hope the gay couple you referred to complained about the guest house. That should be illegal, and probably is in this country. You don't make it clear if the guest house was part of some religious organisation, but surely guest houses, hotels, or anyone else offering goods and services can't discriminate against people on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Hi Anonymous - I know not all Christians are like that, and I think the LGCM is a very worthwhile organisation, but I said Christianity (the religion), not Christians (the adherents).
Hi John - it wasn't a religious guest house, and this happened about a year ago (it was reported in a free LGBT magazine called Fyne). The new legislation is supposed to prevent that sort of thing, but if this loophole in the law is permitted, all the religious organisations that want to can discriminate with impunity.
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