Gay News from London: Homophobic Lillian Ladele

A marriage registrar was harassed for refusing to conduct same-sex ceremonies, a tribunal has ruled.

Lillian Ladele, who said the civil partnership ceremonies went against her Christian faith, hailed the decision as a “victory for religious liberty”.
The tribunal ruled that Miss Ladele was discriminated against on grounds of religious beliefs and was harassed.
Islington council said it was “disappointed” and was considering an appeal against the ruling.
Until December 2007 registrars in Islington effectively worked on a freelance basis and could swap with each other to avoid same-sex ceremonies14 But since then they have been under direct control of the local authority which, it is claimed, has led to far less flexibility about the registrars’ responsibilities.
Miss Ladele said she was being effectively forced to choose between her religion and her £31,000-a-year job as a result.
She said she was picked on, shunned and accused of being homophobic for refusing to carry out civil partnerships.
Miss Ladele said: “I am delighted at this decision.
“It is a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position to mine.
“Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs,” she said.
Councillor John Gilbert, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Human Resources, said: “We’re clearly disappointed with the result, as we consider our approach was the right one.
“We are now considering the judgment carefully in order to decide whether we should appeal.
This is a disaster for several reasons:

I’m sorry her religion prohibits her from treating all citizens as equals, but that really is her problem.
She wasn’t performing same sex marriage, in the UK we still can’t get married.
When do religious views that require discrimination stop becoming acceptable? I’m not sure a fundamental Muslim would be allowed to refuse service to a woman in the UK solely on the basis if her being a woman.
She’s not the victim although she has taken on that role very convincingly. New found gay rights in the UK are at risk from this ruling.
She whines that she was effectively being forced to choose between her job and her religion and YES she was. If her chosen religion restricts her ability to perform her job that is her own choice. Get another job.

Digg it: source : at A gay mens blog

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