Faith Central: Tribunal victory for Christian Registrar

A Christian registrar who was harassed and discriminated against after she refused to carry out same-sex civil partnership ceremonies has won a key legal battle.

Lillian Ladele, 47, said that she was treated like a pariah by colleagues at Islington council in North London after she said that she could not carry out the ceremonies as a matter of religious conscience.

An employment tribunal found that the council showed no respect for Ms Ladele’s rights “by virtue of her orthodox Christian beliefs”.

Employment lawyers said that while the case set no binding legal precedent, it would make councils much more likely to give weight to the religious views of employees.

The decision outraged gay rights campaigners, who said that it “sanctions the right of religious people to discriminate”.

Ms Ladele, who had held her £31,000-a-year job for almost 16 years, could receive thousands of pounds in compensation at a further hearing in September after the tribunal found that the behaviour of her colleagues had “the effect of violating Ms Ladele’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment”.

The tribunal decided that gay rights should not be allowed to “trump” the rights of those with religious beliefs and said that the council’s other registrars were able to provide a “first-class” service to same-sex couples without Ms Ladele’s involvement.

The ruling said that Islington council “placed a greater value on the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community than it placed on the rights of Ms Ladele as one holding an orthodox Christian belief”.

Ms Ladele, who is now expected to return to work, wept as she told the tribunal that her bosses ordered her to perform the ceremonies or face dismissal for gross misconduct. She said: “I felt harassed and victimised. I was being picked on on a daily basis.”

She added: “This is a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position. Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs.”

She was applauded last night by the Christian Institute, a Newcastle-based charity that funded her case, and the Evangelical Alliance. Don Horrocks, head of public affairs at the alliance, said: “This decision underlines that, despite some recent claims to the contrary, freedom of religious conscience must be protected by law in the same way as any other human right.

“We would call on local politicians to take note and live up to the challenge of this benchmark decision.”

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall, said: “Public servants are paid by taxpayers to deliver public services. They shouldn’t be able to pick and choose who they deliver those services to. Doubtless 40 years ago there were moral objections to mixed-race marriages. Quite rightly such objections would no longer be entertained.”

Peter Tatchell, the human rights campaigner, said: “Lillian Ladele claims she was won a victory for religious liberty. No, she has not. She has won a victory for the right to discriminate.”

Islington council may appeal.