Lillian Ladelle, the Islington Council registrar who refused to conduct civil partnerships because of her strict Christian faith, has lost her appeal against her former employer.
Ladele refused to conduct civil partnerships
when they were introduced in 2005 and claimed Islington council religiously discriminated against her as a result.
But the Court of Appeal has
today ruled that this was not the case.
Ladele's original discrimination claims were upheld by an Employment Tribunal in 2007, but twelve months ago the Employment Appeal Tribunal
overturned the decision.
The EAT said the claimant's stance was "inconsistent with the
non-discriminatory objectives which the council thought it important to
espouse, both to their staff and the wider community."
Rejecting the case today, Lord Neuberger said: "It appears to me that,
however much sympathy one may have with someone such as Ms Ladele, who
is faced with choosing between giving up a post she plainly appreciates
or officiating at events which she considers to be contrary to her
religious beliefs, the legislature has decided that the requirements of
a modern liberal democracy, such as the United Kingdom, include
outlawing discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and
services on grounds of sexual orientation, subject only to very limited
exceptions."
The ruling was welcomed by Stonewall. Director of public affairs Derek Munn said: "Stonewall are pleased
that the Court of Appeal has upheld the right of lesbian and gay people
to receive public services from public servants. We are glad that
Islington council have seen this through for the sake of their lesbian
and gay council tax payers.
"You can’t refuse a service to a person based on their gender, race
or disability and you can’t on the basis of their sexual orientation
either."
The National Secular Society also welcomed the decision. Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the NSS, said:
“This is an extremely important decision for the protection of the
rights of gay people in this country – and the right one. It
establishes – we hope definitively - that because a person has strong
religious views, it does not give them the right to discriminate
against and deny services to others of whom they disapprove.
“Parliament
has decided that gay people are entitled to civil partnerships and that
their right to such a service be protected in law, so there should
therefore be no opt outs on any grounds, religious or otherwise for
public servants from performing these ceremonies.
“Christian conscience should not be a blanket licence to discriminate against others.”