Sir, Lesbians, gays and bisexuals are legally second-class citizens in this country. We are protected from discrimination at work but almost everyone can discriminate against us in other areas of every day life and get away with it — banks, doctors, hospitals, service providers, shops, hotels, schools, clubs and any company or organisation.

Early next year new legislation is due to be introduced to deal with that. But already those laws are coming under attack. A group of religious rightwingers calling itself “Coherent and Cohesive Voice” (advert, Nov 28) is putting pressure on Ruth Kelly, the Communities and Local Government Secretary who is responsible for the legislation.

The opt-out clause they want included would make the law effectively meaningless: “Nothing in these regulations shall force an individual to act against their conscience or strongly held religious beliefs.”

British lesbians, gays and bisexuals are not asking for special rights. We are asking for basic fairness. It is not for firefighters to decide who they give safety advice to, it’s not for a bigoted school headteacher to expel a gay pupil.

This law is vital to ensure a fairer Britain, where everyone is respected. We believe the British Government is opposed to such a wide-ranging opt-out as these fundamentalists are requesting.

But we can’t be complacent. We must make a clear case and ensure the Government hears us.

TRIS REIDSMITH, Pink Paper;
JANE CZYZSELSKA, DIVA;
JOSEPH GALLIANO, Gay Times;
MATT MILES , AXM;
SIMON JOHNSON , Puffta.co.uk

Sir, The Government is seeking to strike a balance between protecting the rights of religious groups and preventing discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

This is a Government, and country, that has a proud record of tackling discrimination wherever it exists. But it is also a country that has a proud record of respecting people from all faiths and none.

No one is proposing that schools will have to promote homosexuality or that a priest will have to bless same-sex couples. But at the same time, it is wrong for gay teenagers to be refused emergency accommodation after being thrown out of their family home on the ground that they had chosen to tell their parents about their sexuality, or for lesbian and bisexual people to be denied access to essential healthcare.

MEG MUNN
Deputy Minister for
Women and Equalities

Sir, A right to treat homosexuals less fairly would introduce a toxic principle into British law.

It would weaken the moral basis on which to prevent, for example, worse treatment for black, Asian or mixed-race couples, or worse treatment for women, on the basis of some deeply held belief. Every piece of anti-discrimination legislation would find a group that wanted to opt out of it.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) opposes discrimination on the grounds of religion or sexual orientation and has written to the Government to say so. Many Christians agree with us.

SARAH DODGSON
London N13

Explore Letters

• Feedback