UK Equality Bill threat to church freedom

[Matt Black]

Article here.

The background to this is that the Labour Government, urged on by hyper-feminist Harriet Harman, the Deputy Prime Minister, want to extend laws prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of, inter alia, sexual orientation and gender (including 'transgendered' individuals), to those employed by churches. The government stress that this is in no way meant to apply to ordained clergy, just other church employees, but many here have their doubts. The Anglican Bishops in the House of Lords (our equivalent of the Senate) have already amended the bill to try to gain exemption for churches, but the government could overrule this. And now the Pope has waded into the fray...

Please pray that this Bill, or at least the aspect affecting churches, will be defeated.

 

[targus]

inter alia[/i], sexual orientation and gender (including 'transgendered' individuals), to those employed by churches.

So churches would be required to hire individuals who in most churches would not be allowed membership?

The government stress that this is in no way meant to apply to ordained clergy, just other church employees...

If that is really the intent why isn't the law written to say exactly that?

We all know the obvious answer to that question.

 

[Matt Black]

Correct re hiring.

 

[billwald]

In England the Anglican Church is government sponsored so the people in question could be considered government employees.

 

[Matt Black]

Hmmm....not as simple as that. Beyond a say in the appointment of bishops, the Prime Minister through the Queen has virtually no say in how the CofE is run.

The good news is that Harman has backed off and allowed the Lords' amendment to stand. This particular round then seems to have gone to the churches.

Thank you for praying but let's keep it up - "the price of freedom" etc

 

[Aaron]

When is the Queen's consent required when Parliament enacts a law? Couldn't the Queen "just say no"?

 

[Matt Black]

In theory, she could. But in practice, no monarch has refused to do so since the reign of Queen Anne, if nothing else for the simple reason that Parliament could simply depose him/her and appoint a new monarch (as effectively happened in 1688/9).