Category - equal opportunities

The Equality Bill 2008-9 and church responses to it

Savi Hensman — Sun, 31 May 2009 16:56:08 +0100

The Equality Bill 2008-2009, which will extend both to England and Wales, and to Scotland, covers age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It also requires public authorities to do more to tackle the effects of socio-economic disadvantage. The Bill has received a hostile response among some religious groups, while the response of the large churches (including the Church of England) has been to welcome its principal aims while contesting aspects of its detail - particularly in terms of lobbying for opt-outs and provisions which would allow continued discrimination on grounds of sexuality and gender by faith bodies on grounds of 'upholding beliefs'. In this paper, Savitri Hensman assesses the issues and suggests that the churches need to move forward positively, on theological and practical grounds, in affirming comprehensive equalities in the public sphere. She also tackles the harm that discrimination and inequality causes, not least to the most vulnerable and those suffering prejudice.

Savi Hensman

Christians and equalities provisions

Press Office — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:30:23 +0000

Commenting on Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor's suggestion that equalities legislation in Britain is threatening freedom of religion, Simon Barrow, co-director of the religion and society thinktank

Religion, belief and non-discrimination law

Simon Barrow — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:32:51 +0000

Over the past eleven years, the British government has passed a number of laws that specifically tackle, or include directly in their provisions, protection of the freedom of ‘religion or belief’ – based on the right to hold or not to hold religious or other philosophical beliefs. This paper looks specifically at how ‘religion or belief’ is defined, particularly in relation to the Equality Act 2006 / 2007, and locates this within the wider policy-led and academic attempts to define ‘religion’. Looking at some of the implications of the definitions applied, it goes on to summarise key elements of current law on non-discrimination, drawing on public sources and examples from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Nothing in this background paper constitutes legal advice or should be read as constituting such advice. If you have legal questions or requirements, please consult a qualified lawyer.

Simon Barrow

Bishop faces equal opportunities training after discrimination award

staff writers — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:15:21 +0000

An Anglican bishop will be expected to take equal opportunities training and faces costs of some £50,000 after a tribunal awarded a gay youth worker £47,000 compensation after ruling that he had been discriminated against.

Church of England still failing over equality say women

staff writers — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:09:19 +0100

The Church of England is still dragging its feet and failing to come into line with laws concerning the equal treatment of women, women within the Church have said.

Parliamentary challenge to UK equalities regulation fails

staff writers — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:14:23 +0000

Religious groups opposed to homosexuality have failed in their attempt to encourage British peers to scrap new rules providing lesbian and gay people with the same protection against discrimination as have been enjoyed by faith groups since 1998.

Christian unions warned against legal action - Guardian Education, 30th November 2006

Press Office — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 10:36:46 +0000

An article about Ekklesia's report 'United We Stand' which addresses the conflict between Christian Unions and Student Unions and warns that legal action is not a helpful solution.