Discrimination
A hotel in Cornwall has lost its appeal against a county court decision that ruled the owners had discriminated against a gay couple on the basis of their sexuality.
The Christian owners of the hotel would only allow married couples to share a double room. The case was brought by a gay couple who had made a reservation at the hotel. Although the couple are in a civil partnership they were not married and could not comply with the hotel owners rules.
The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 make it unlawful to discriminate, directly or indirectly, in the provision of goods and services on the ground of sexuality.
The hotel owners denied that they discriminated against the couple due to their sexuality. They argued that the restriction was based upon their Christian beliefs that sex outside of marriage was a sin.
The court of appeal upheld the county court ruling finding that the owners had directly discriminated against the couple. Their policy was unfair treatment on the grounds of sexual orientation.
If you would like advice on discrimination matters please contact our Civil Litigation Department.
Jacqueline Penfold Tina Ripley
Please note the above is for information purposes only and is intended to be a short summary. It should not be treated as a comprehensive guide and should not be acted on without qualified legal advice.