The House of Commons will host a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 24) to discuss the controversial religious exemptions to the upcoming Equality Bill.
The meeting, entitled Equality Bill: Opt In vs Opt Out, is a forum for progressive faith and secular organisations to discuss the exemptions to the Bill.
As it currently stands, the Bill grants exemption to religious organisations such as churches, to allow them to refuse to employ gays and lesbians for roles such as leading worship, but does not allow them to refuse to employ gay staff for other jobs.
In a press release, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Government legislation which recognises the diversity of the workforce is to be welcomed. However, the rights of LGBT union members who work for faith schools and religious organisations must be protected.
“Teachers, education support staff, employees of faith based charities and other religious organisations, all deserve equal rights at work, regardless of their sexuality.”
Stonewall welcomed the meeting by telling PinkPaper.com: ‘"Stonewall welcomes the position in the equality bill and the Cutting Edge Consortium meeting tomorrow. The exemptions for religious employers have been subject to abuse since they were introduced and the government is right to clarify the law."
The Equality Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 3 December 2008 and currently awaits its report stage before its third reading. According to the Government Equalities Office, it is intended to significantly strengthen discrimination legislation, including banning age discrimination, increasing transparency on gender pay gaps, and rooting out inequality.
The open meeting, hosted by Clare Short MP, will also feature speakers including Sarah Bourke (Tooks Chambers), Andrew Copson (British Humanist Association), Maleiha Malik (Muslim Women’s Network) and Michael Rubenstein (Equal Opportunities Review).
The meeting, which is supported by the TUC, is the launch of the Cutting Edge Consortium, a group which formed following the 2009 ‘Faith, Homophobia, Transphobia and Human Rights’ conference.
It will take place between 7 and 9pm in Committee Room 5 of the House of Commons.