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Gay activists will tomorrow condemn the appointment of openly-Christian leader in the UK to the country's main equality commission and demand his resignation.

In a ten-page dossier to be published on its website, the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement calls for the head of the Evangelical Alliance, Dr Joel Edwards, to stand down as a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The commission, chaired by Trevor Phillips, was set up last October under the Equality Act 2006. Dr Edwards was appointed one of 14 members in November as having "exceptional experience in the field of equality and human rights." The commission's role is to achieve "a fairer, more inclusive Britain" by promoting equality and human rights across society and providing back-up for discrimination legislation. The commission will also investigate the root causes of inequality in our society.

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BACKGROUND

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BACKGROUND

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• Archbishop of Canterbury's 'secret gay communion'

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The movement's main concern outlined in the dossier, which is based on material taken from the Alliance's own website, is that he should never have been appointed in the first place. The dossier cites Dr Edwards' stance on the Sexual Orientation Regulations and on civil partnerships. The dossier also refers to some of the lobbying the EA has done behind the scenes on such issues, and reflects concern in the gay community that as an insider, Dr Edwardds might be able to use his position on the Commission to lobby further.

Its publication comes just a few hours before Dr Williams' launches the Lambeth Conference at Lambeth Palace tomorrow and gives an indication of how irreconcilable the separate evangelical and homosexual camps have become. Dr Williams will unveil an agenda for the 600-plus bishops expected at Kent University in Canterbury in July which is concentrated primarily on prayer, mission and discussion.

His attempt to keep sexuality low on the agenda, and to avoid a vote on the issue that is splitting the Church, has already backfired however.

Conservative evangelicals in the Anglican Communion have organised a rival conference, the Global Anglican Futures Conference, or Gafcon, to be held in Israel in June. Many are unlikely to turn up to the "official" Lambeth Conference, a boycott that will represent the start of formal schism in the Communion.

Dr Edwards' organisation is not part of the Anglican Communion but it is the largest evangelical umbrella group in the country and many of the Alliance's member churches are also in the Church of England. One recent survey estimated that there are about two million evangelical Christians in the UK.

Although his stance has been moderate compared to that of some Christian groups, Dr Edwards has consistently stood up for what he regards as Bible-based Christian values in responding to new developments in legislation. In one letter to Alliance church leaders in response to last year's Sexual Orientation Regulations, which outlaw discrimination against gays by businesses, Dr Edwards warned: "The erosion of Christian values increasingly reflected in our legislation is an indication that Britain has lost its Christian soul."

The dossier also cites Dr Edwards' concerns on civil partnerships as a further reason against his membership of the equality body.

Dr Edwards said he was "saddened" by the campaign against him. He said: "I welcome and support the presence of lesbian and gay people as part of this diverse commission. I therefore find it a shame that the LGCM considers my belief system less equal than others and a barrier to my serving the British public.'

He continued: "The faith community is actively working for equality and justice in many different areas, and I would be disappointed if my contribution to this commission is only seen in the light of issues around sexuality."

The Alliance noted also that the commission does not just deal with issues of sexuality, but represents numerous issues and groups, including religion and belief, disability, racial equality, age and gender. The Alliance said: "Joel Edwards is the only representative of a religious organisation on the commission. He has a strong background in the Christian community on areas of race equality and also campaigns against poverty."