A gay couple have sued a Bed and Breakfast owner who refused to let them stay in room with a double bed. Michael Black and John Morgan were refused the room by Susanne Wilkinson, the owner of the Swiss Bed and Breakfast in Cookham, Berkshire, who said that her decision was based on her religious beliefs. The British Humanist Association (BHA) supports Mr Black and Mr Morgan’s legal action, and believes that they were victims of unfair discrimination.
Michael Black, 64, and John Morgan, 59, from Brampton in Cambridgeshire, had booked a double room at the Swiss Bed and Breakfast for a stay in March 2010. However, when they arrived, Mrs Wilkinson refused to accommodate them, and said that she was not prepared to allow them to share a double bed. Mrs Wilkinson considers sex outside heterosexual marriage to be a sin, and believes that providing a double bed to the couple would promote sexual relations outside heterosexual marriage. This case is similar to that of Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy, who were refused a room with a double bed by the Christian owners of a guest house in Cornwall in September 2008 (their case has now gone to the Supreme Court).
Mr Black and Mr Morgan are seeking a declaration they have been discriminated against, and aim to claim damages. Their case has been taken up by lawyers from the human rights organisation Liberty. Mrs Wilkinson’s case is being supported by the Legal Defence Fund of the Christian Institute, a socially conservative Christian group. Mrs Wilkinson’s lawyers argue that a person offering bed and breakfast in their own home is allowed to refuse a double bed to people who are not married or in a civil partnership (Mr Black and Mr Morgan are not in a civil partnership). However, Liberty argue that it is unlawful for a person concerned with the provision of services to the public to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented ‘We support Michael Black and John Morgan’s legal case against Susanne Wilkinson. Cases like this are often used by socially conservative Christian groups in an attempt to create a narrative of “Christian persecution”, with the claim that attempts are being made to prevent Christians from expressing their beliefs. However, the right to express a religious belief does not extend to the right to discriminate in the provision of goods and services. If you are providing a service to the public, it is wrong to deny that service to one particular group of people, just because you have arbitrarily decided that they are not equal to everyone else.’
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For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs at pavan@humanists.uk or on 0773 843 5059.
BHA news article on the case involving Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy, which has gone to the Supreme Court: https://humanists.uk/news/view/1096
Media coverage of Michael Black and John Morgan’s case:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-19626936
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/17/gay-couple-sue-bed-breakfast
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.