THEGAYUK

Tag: Religion

The latest religious news affecting the LGBT community in the UK and internationally.

  • Gay Church of England priest marries his partner

    A gay Church of England Priest has become the first clergyman to marry his boyfriend.

    Canon Jeremy Pemberton has defied the Church of England’s ban on same-sex marriage to become the first priest to marry his long-term, same-sex partner Laurence Cunnington. The couple wed on Saturday afternoon, the Telegraph has reported.

    The law in the UK that allows same-sex marriage came into force on the 29th March. However some religious organisations are forced by law to not be able to conduct same-sex marriages, the Church of England was one of them.

    The couple did not marry within a C of E Church.

    The Church, earlier this year, decided to ban gay clergy from marrying. The decision means that Priests who marry their same-sex partners could face disciplinary actions.

    Speaking in his blog over at The Telegraph Damian Thompson suggested that the punishment for Mr Pemberton’s marriage could be:

    ‘the withdrawal of his licence to officiate at services (he doesn’t have a parish). Technically he could be defrocked, but that would involve a messy legal process…’

  • Why is Matt Barber focusing on anal sex and not Christian values?

    Some people just can’t let it go. Is Matt Barber is one of them? Forget what we’re doing with our bodies and concentrate on what you’re doing with your mind.

    Last year the author, lawyer and ex-pro boxer, Matt Barber, used a column in WND to tell gay teens that they were just a ‘means to an end’.

    Today he takes to the same publication to focus on ‘How The “Gay” Jihad Normalized A Filthy Practice’, and he definitely seems to know a lot about those gay ‘practices’.

    What an odd thought, such a mix of ideologies, but well done on mixing a Muslim war against unbelievers and gay people (and their allies) who are merely asking the government for equality.

    Within his article Barber calls homosexuals ‘pagan sexual jihadists’ and laments the poor Christian business owners who are ‘facing harsh government persecution for merely living out their faith.’

    Ah, it’s the Christian business owners that are facing persecution; we won’t mention at this point, Crusades, Inquisitions, ‘gay cure’ therapies or what women can or can’t do with their bodies all in the name of beliefs and faiths.

    Forgive me, I thought it was the ‘homosexualists’ who faced daily persecution and inequality around the world, but clearly I was wrong. I checked the same dictionary; homosexualist isn’t actually a word.

    Throughout Barber’s incoherent ramblings within the article, he arrives, I assume, to the crux of his issues. Anal.

    I have to ask why does he care?

    How does he know so much about the intimate acts between gay men?

    And, why just focus on gay men? Aren’t lesbians part of your rampage against the ‘homosexualists’?

    I’d like to take a moment to inform Barber and the rest of his audience, which he insists of ill informing, that not all gay men partake in anal sex.

    Some do, but so do some heterosexuals. In fact if you add up the number of straight people having butt sex and the entire homosexual community that do it, you’ll probably find that proportionally straights are having it more often than the gays and good for them. After all it’s their body.

    There are of course, the biological facts to look at here; but since Barber seems to know so much about sodomy, I’m guessing I don’t have to explain. We’ll ignore the fact that the male G-spot is placed inside his body, we’ll forget the fact that the anus is conveniently placed in a position that makes anal sex just as easy and accessible as vaginal intercourse. We’ll also forget the fact that women also enjoy anal intercourse too, and that not all sexual contact between heterosexuals has to end in conception.

    Barber’s references to the millions of homosexual men wasting away in hospices, and how the gay press has hidden them away, are just erroneous.

    The struggles that gay men faced during the 80s and 90s are still very much at the forefront of the gay media today, and continue to be the subject of many films, books and health campaigns by health services world over.

    Barber would be wise to check facts here, perhaps cast his eyes to the real statistics surrounding people living with HIV and AIDS. This just reinforces negativity toward the gay community from those who are far too uneducated on the matter.

    It’s articles like this one that perpetuate the issues that gay people face, but thankfully if one looks at the latest polls and trends on what society thinks on the matter of same-sex marriage, people like Matt Barber look more and more ridiculous as they position themselves on the wrong side of public opinion.

    Stop thinking about what the gay community does or doesn’t do in its bedrooms and start focussing on real Christian values of compassion and equality.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • COMMENT | Religion And Sexuality

    We have made some great leaps over the last few years in the name of Diversity. Accepting the belief systems of the individuals and communities, which make up the company within which we live in order to present and perform as a united public.

    We endeavour to behave by a generally accepted rule of what is right and wrong towards people in the name of humanity and to the virtue of the individual regardless of their cultural status. To this merit; Society, in the broadest terms, aims to aid in the progression of law and ethics in order to establish a fairer less segregated union by acknowledging what is “Different” to the considered “Norm”, and then accepting that it is these very diversities which are the mainstream of Society and not the minority. We are, none of us, the same as any other.

    With this slightly hippified version of life and all its wonderful nuances in mind, I set about exploring, in a somewhat naive way, what it actually means to ‘Accept’ within the parameters of the anticipated Ideal of a community. And the community I decided to explore? Well, I couldn’t have given myself a larger more diverse group if I had tried; I choose Religion, what with the festive season approaching and all and not just one but all of them; no stone unturned, and why? Because the religious community is one built on love, and togetherness and belonging and acceptance without rule, isn’t it? Well yes, of course, only with some slight deviations along the way

    It may be relevant to point out that I am not personally religious. I come from a religious family, I have studied the major texts of several religions and I have friends from across the religious community but when it comes to ticking that little box on the diversity monitoring form, I sit quite happily in the “no religion” category. I do however; have the upmost respect for the beliefs of the individual and their personal right to live freely by their own judgements.

    So anyway, here I am; curiosity to boot, with my slightly ‘Peace and Love’ attitude in tow and I start contacting people to ask them about Love, and if I stopped there then everything would be just fine. In fact, lets try that shall we…

    Hello,

    I would like to ask you about Love

    Bye then

    Answers below please…

    I imagine we would be hard pushed to find anyone that would not agree that the love of one individual to another, or of several individuals, is anything but a good thing. Unless of course you’re reading this after you’ve had another blazing row about who left the milk out all night, because when we look at this rationally, it couldn’t have been me because I don’t make the porridge and if it wasn’t me, and it wasn’t you, then we have far bigger things to worry about than some slightly luke warm milk.

    But Love is something which resonates without exception; we all know it in some shape or form, we all need it, in others; we’re all afraid of it in ways that make us shy away from our own hearts in order to protect ourselves from the joys and hurts we may not even know yet. Love is hard and Love is beautiful and Love is ours; whoever and whatever you may be. So that question of Love is a question that is universal, for apart from anything else, how could we, anyone, presume to take precedents enough over it to deny someone of it? What great audacity gives us that right?

    So when I went to the Priests and the Rabbi’s and the Vicars and the Imam’s and the congregations that make up their communities, with this question of Sexuality and Identity, I was only left disheartened by the lack of Love that appeared both in its acceptance and understanding, and I was furthermore saddened by the hostility and disregard of the individual and their right to live freely, because of it.

    And then I got angry. And I have pondered over how better to put this than: grr, but the ridiculousness of it, the hypocrisy, the stupidity that places such effect and importance on something so…so natural as to love; the pomposity of it, it just makes me grrr and then, following that, begin along the lines of some angry feminist rant.

    Without wanting to go on too much of a nit-picking ramble around different religious texts, I will make reference to just one, here, as it is rather at the cornerstone of our beliefs of the heterosexual union.
    The same Hebrew Word, as used in Genesis to describe the love between Adam and Eve is used to describe the love between Ruth and Naomi in The Book of Ruth. Furthermore this vow, made from one woman to another, is often used in marriage ceremonies to illustrate the nature of the covenant of the union. And well, isn’t that ironic? This idealised heterosexual union of love is blessed by, and based on, a homosexual union. Just saying…

    To say I struggled to engage people in this conversation, would be putting it lightly. It seems that everyone has an opinion but nobody wants to talk about it but I was lucky enough to speak and meet with some wonderful people who were able to share their stories with me and leave me, surprisingly actually, feeling much better about the whole damn thing in the end.

    It is a story of struggle. Of fighting through adversity. Of strength and, at the end of all of that; love (though one would really hope that came somewhere closer to the beginning).

    I spoke with people who had been completely vilified and run out of their communities, people who had been forced to try and “change” or hide themselves, people who had been completely abandoned, abused and neglected, people who were left scared and ashamed and alone and fearful of ever trying to integrate with a community again. And why? because they had fallen in love. And there is no way of explaining that because no belief, surely, results in the belief of the mistreatment of another person.

    But what I find most astonishing at the end of all of this is that Faith and the Love of Faith holds strong. When everything around you in the name of religion is against you, somehow it is your faith and your God that gives you the strength to continue.

    And I gotta say this didn’t make a lot of sense to me, how could you hold on to Faith when it is that very thing that has turned its back on you?

    But then someone said to me “its all struggle; Jesus struggled, Ruth struggled, Mary struggled…they all fought against someone for the right to be free in themselves; they all struggled, but they never had to fight God; he loved them always, whatever struggle life had given them, he loved them always and he loves me” and I think that is a message for anyone to keep in their hearts that it is your strength and your belief and your faith in something, whatever that may be, that keeps you going and that Love, whatever shape, whatever form it may come in, will never die.

    So having navigated my way through some verbal abuse and some outrageous ignorance and some damn right rudeness, I settled on something rather wonderful; a universal truth of love: you are never alone. For every one struggling there is someone who cares, for everywhere you are not welcome there is a place you always are, for every person that doesn’t understand there is someone that does and when you finally find that you can walk through a door into a room full of strangers and belong, and be loved, there is beauty in that struggle too, and that’s the message; that no matter what, you are loved.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • COLUMN | The Church of the poisoned mind

    As a teenager I dallied with the idea of religion. That was until I realised that I was actually what religion often calls an inveterate sinner and decided to give it up.

    My dad was agnostic, tending more towards atheism and my mum had been raised a Roman Catholic. My brother and I were christened and all that business and my mum took us to church regularly as small children. I remember it as being a crushing bore. My mum would intermittently pass us dusty boiled sweets or Polo Mints from the recesses of her handbag, to placate us as we stood up and down repeatedly, listening to the strange and spooky incantations in the local Catholic Church. I hated it and would often try to smuggle a book in to pass the time and distract me from the anxiety it invoked.

    For a small child a Catholic church can be a sinister place. The masses of blankly staring statues, the smoky incense, dim light, candles and the mumbling, all combined to give me the jitters and to be honest still does. The huge crucifix with the depiction of a man with a collection of oozing wounds gave me nightmares. I shudder now on the rare occasions I have to enter a church. I still recall that strange mix of boredom, cold and terror instilled into me and I break out into a sweat. I can also understand that scene in “The Omen” where Damien goes off on one. I feel his pain. I also get funny urges to shout absurd made up swear words in very quiet places. No one wants to hear me shout “F**k-bumble” or “W**k-toffee” whilst they’re praying so I avoid that risk.

    Luckily my mum became tired of the ritual of church attendance and the joy of accompanying two bored children to church soon palled and she gave it up for many years. I got to age 12 and decided I’d rethink the whole church issue. My maternal Grandfather was an amusing spiv of a man who was all Brill Cream, bandy gait and cheeky charm. He entertained me and I liked his carefree manner and his love of fruit machines and Embassy Number Ones. I decided to try going to church a few times with him. Oddly, I enjoyed it. The service was a bore and the bobbing up and down was hard on the knees but I got to spend time with my funny Granddad who would be wearing his best suit and we always went in the bar at the Catholic Social Club after and let me have a Shandy. It seemed a fair pay off for having to go in the spooky place.

    I quickly become quite entranced by it all and found I quite liked the ritual and the pomp. There was gold, perfumes and shiny things and a man in a dress standing at the front; ideal fodder for a teenage gay boy’s imagination. I decided to have my first communion and get confirmed, all in one go.

    To become a good Catholic you have to go to classes. I went once a week to the presbytery and sat in the priest’s office for an hour of instruction after school. No, before you ask, he didn’t try a thing. He was in his eighties, a funny little walnut of a man who smelt of old age and fusty cassocks. I was given a little red book called the Catechism that felt like it was a manual to tell me how bad I was. That’s where it all went a bit wrong.

    I was 13 and there I was with a little book telling me how full of dirty nasty sin I was and the voice of the wizened little priest to back this up. The book had such delightful entries as the one telling you that homosexuality was a sin crying out to heaven for vengeance. That didn’t make me feel very warm inside. My teenage love for Nick Hayward from Haircut 100 was the beginning of the road to becoming as evil as Myra Hindley, according to the priest. It wasn’t just a sin to do the bum thing. It was also a sin to think about sex and to masturbate. I was 13. Masturbation is the prerogative of the teenage boy. I could no more stop myself thinking about sex as I could give up food or air. I made a few valiant attempts to give up “the sin of self abuse” but it made me crabby and deranged and never lasted. As Woody Allen once said, “Don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone you love.”

    Apparently I also had to obey and respect my parents. That one was even harder. I sat through the classes getting more and more anxious and mixed up. It was an odd feeling to be told you’re fundamentally wrong and bad. I wouldn’t recommend it.

    I went for my first (and last) confession. It was a bit of a farce. Anonymity wasn’t achieved, as I was the only one in the church. It was also a wet autumn evening and the flickering candles did little to dispel my nerves as I sat behind the grotty little grill. The priest asked me what sins I’d committed and I made up a few minor things, omitting to mention the time I got caught shoplifting in W.H. Smiths and the bouts of long and steamy dirty thoughts about Peter Duncan off Blue Peter with my hand down my trousers.

    The confirmation service was the biggest bore ever, worse than any maths lesson at school. The church was packed with proud parents and was hot and uncomfortable. The Bishop led the lengthy service and did a sermon about how evil Boy George was. He’s badly dressed at times and he can be a bit irritating but I’m not sure about evil. He also added in a topical element by telling us what a sinner Mick Jagger was too. This raised a few puzzled looks from an audience of teenagers in the early 80s who weren’t quite sure who he was.

    My granddad seemed proud, which was a consolation. In retrospect, it’s not really worth months of sitting in a little room being told you’re evil, just to try and make someone proud. The head f**king isn’t a great thing and I feel very angry when I look back and think of myself as a vulnerable child being given such psychologically damaging misinformation. My granddad died not long after that and the appeal of the church going faded and I gave it up.

    My dad converted to Catholicism when he was dying and in an odd twist, at the time, I was dating a man who was a devout Catholic and had once entered a seminary and almost completed his training to be a priest: strange times indeed. My dad’s funeral was an excruciating experience and if you’re a non-Catholic you maybe won’t know that there’s no speed or economy to a Catholic Church service. The funeral lasted over two hours, including the reception into church and the cremation. It wasn’t good to prolong it and required medical sedation, thanks to my understanding G.P. and a sedative prescription that barely contained my grief.

    I don’t intend to ever enter a church again or sit through a service as long as I live unless it’s to marvel at the architecture or the church is now a pub. I won’t attend church weddings or christenings and if I need to go to a funeral then the little bit at the crematorium is fine. I don’t think that’s disrespectful at all, just respecting myself.

    Although my experience of the church isn’t good, other people’s can be fantastic and I don’t disrespect anyone who has a strong religious faith if that’s what gets them through the night. I also acknowledge that religion isn’t all about condemnation and disapproval and I applaud certain aspects of religious faith and works of the church. This is just my experience.

    Maybe my views will change as I get older and I’m self knowing enough to realise that maybe the threat of terminal illness or old age might send me running back in a search for comfort and meaning. I hope not. If there’s one thing the Catholic Church never gave me, it’s comfort or meaning.

  • EDITOR’S LETTER | December 2013

    This month tis all about the sticky situation of homosexuality and religion and where we as homos, bi’s, trans and everything in between fit into gods’ plans – or don’t – as is often highlighted.

    Nothing gets the knickers twisted quicker than a mention of bum sex when it comes to religious men of the cloth– as Stephen Fry found out during his documentary Out There, when talk of anal completely engrossed Pastor Solomon Male in Uganda.

    Having been raised a Roman Catholic (and no I wasn’t abused sexually) and my formative years spent being educated in a RC Primary, I quickly came to realise that I, my actual person, was thoroughly frowned upon. Bible passages quickly assured me that I was to end up in hell, burning with the likes of unrepentant mass murderers and rapists, because of my love of Neighbours’ star Toby Schmitz.

    How was my 7-year-old self to know that those things are completely comparable in the eyes of God?

    Are they? If God does exist, why would s/he care who I love? I mean seriously, there’s so much more to be interested in…

    It strikes me as a bit strange at how what we get up to in bed, or don’t, as is most often the case, totally consumes the minds of those who use the ‘good’ book to justify their hate for homosexuals. I’m looking at you Pat Robertson et al. And I’m not buying that BS ‘Love the Sinner, Hate The Sin’ crap. Either love me and everything I do / or don’t and nob off.

    At the age of 14, I made the conscious decision, not to be Confirmed by a church that puts my life state lower that those who wish to procreate and live in perpetual sin and if that’s your bag, I’m happy for you, even if you can’t be!

    So this month, as it’s Christmas coming up and all, we thought we’d be a bit controversial and take a look at Religion Vs. Sexuality and ask the questions that matter to the gay community like: Does someone’s belief take priority over someone’s inherent being?

    If you’ve got something to say on the matter, why not write us an article or get involved with the comments section.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • COLUMN | Coming Out of the Broom Closest

    I’ve come out of two closets in my life. First through the rainbow-coloured door – coming out as gay. Then out of the broom closet – coming out as pagan.

    Every time I’ve come out as pagan, I get asked the same sort of questions. Here are some of those questions and my responses:

    What is it all about?
    Paganism is a nature-based religion, so as a pagan I have a reverence for nature. Paganism has a dual aspect of divinity – meaning we have both a god and goddess.

    This god and goddess duality symbolises balance that can be seen in all aspects of the world and universe. We cannot have life without death, happy times without sad times, etc.

    Unlike most other religions we don’t have a bible or other book that tells us what to believe. What pagans believe is much more individual to them. But the two big focuses in paganism are nature and individual responsibility for our own actions and omissions.

    Paganism has values that encourage equality, respect for all living beings and empathy for others, so generally pagans are very accepting of gay people. Acts of love, pleasure and beauty are important to pagans regardless of the sexuality or gender of those involved.

    Do you worship the devil?
    No…we actually don’t believe in a devil.

    Do you have a Church?
    Nature is our church. Some of us like to worship, celebrate and practice on our own; whereas others like to get together with other pagans.

    Covens are closed groups of pagans usually consisting of a maximum of thirteen people. They have a High Priestess and a High Priest as leaders of their group, kind of like priests/vicars. Coven members will teach one another what they know, including the initiates (those new to paganism). Rituals, rites, magic, music and dance will all be taught within the closed coven circle.

    Pagan moots are much more open. They are open to anyone and usually held at local cafes or pubs. Some moot organisers will arrange for talks on a range of pagan topics such as: herbs, crystals, healing, ghosts/other spirits, etc. Organisers usually ask for a donation or minimal charge to attend these fascinating talks.

    Is magic like that on Charmed? Or like Willow on Buffy The Vampire Slayer does?
    No…sorry. But it can be equally effective – it just works in a different way.

    Imagine I cast a Spell for money. Money won’t magically appear. But I might see a job that I can apply for that’s better paid than the one I’m doing.

    Just because I’ve cast the Spell, doesn’t mean the job is automatically mine! I still have to apply for the job, go to the interview and WOW the interviewers. I have to work hard to achieve my goals – like everyone else.

    What’s the difference between a Pagan, a Wiccan and a Druid?
    Paganism is a broad term to describe lots of different paths that have the same principle beliefs. Wicca, Druidism and others paths may have slightly different practices but share the same principle beliefs and are therefore are all encompassed under the term paganism.

    Think of it in terms of Christianity. Christianity is the over-arching term, but within that you have the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church and many others all with the same principle beliefs but with slightly different practices.

    So you don’t celebrate Christmas?
    We have our own holidays, many of which coincide with Christian holidays. But our big celebration is Samhain or Halloween, which to pagans is like Christmas and New Year rolled into one.

    We are all individuals. Personally I celebrate Christmas with my family, because they do and because it’s a positive time for all. It’s the one time of year my family takes the time out to spend precious time together, to eat, drink and be merry – oh and of course there’s the presents!

    Where can I learn more?
    The best gay pagan book I’ve come across is Gay Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak. Christopher Penczak is a pagan gay man who wrote this for gay men. It even has a section on gay deities.

    Other non-gay books I’ve learned a lot about paganism from are: The Real Witches’ Handbook by Kate West, Elements of Witchcraft by Ellen Dugan,Witchcraft: Theory and Practice by Le De Angeles and Everyday Magic by Dorothy Morrison. There’s also a myriad of information on the internet –just do a Google search.

  • Anti-Gay Church Westboro Blames Woolwich Soldier Death On Gay People

    Anti-Gay Church Westboro Blames Woolwich Soldier Death On Gay People

    The anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), infamous for its ‘God Hates Fags’ picketing and signage has blamed the death of a soldier slain in Woolwich on God hating the UK, gays and soldiers.

     

    Westboro Baptist Church
    CREDIT: Westboro Baptist Church

    Taking to Twitter last night the homophobic Church WBC posted this picture named ‘ First Thoughts’ to its 14,000 followers, which read: ‘Not Blessed, Just Cursed’, ‘Fags Doom Nations’ and ‘God Is Your Terrorist’.

    The Twitter post was published just hours after a soldier was killed in a suspected terror attack in Woolwich, London. One man who was captured on camera said he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day. The victim was killed outside army barracks and it is reported he was wearing a Help For Heroes UK t-shirt.

    Two men were seen brandishing a meat cleaver and machete, with bloodied hands by shocked witnesses. The attack happened in broad daylight.

    Two men were shot by police at the scene and were taken into custody; one man is in hospital in a ‘serious’ condition.

    The outspoken Church WBC has repeatedly gotten itself into hot water over its bigotry and controversial means of picketing, even earning themselves a ban from entering the UK in 2009 and in 2007 were ordered to pay $10.9m after its members cheered a soldier’s death as “punishment” for tolerance for gay people in the US.

    A petition on the White House’s We The People website has gained nearly 360,000 signatures since December. The petition calls to recognise Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group.

     

  • “I’m Muslim And I’m Against Homphobia” Magazine calls for support

    Online magazine Aswat is calling upon Arab citizens to speak out against homophobia.

    Aswat Magazine is publishing user-submitted photos aimed at reducing discrimination faced by the gay community in the Arab world as part of its ‘Love For All’ campaign.

    The magazine is sharing the images on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

    Interviewed by Tunisia Live, activist Maher al Haj spoke about the campaign, ‘We aim to educate not only the LGBTQ Arab community but also reach out to others as well who might have many misconceptions about us.

    ‘We are humans like others, we exist everywhere and we deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated within the fabrics of our societies like all other groups in society.’

    The ‘Love For All’ campaign is organised to coincide with this year’s International Day Against Homophobia on 17th May.

    For more on the story click here

  • La Manif Pour Tous London Protest draws poor turn out

    La Manif Pour Tous London Protest draws poor turn out

    La Manif Pour Tous, the French anti same sex marriage and anti adoption for gay couples, organisation is taking its protests to the streets of other European cities including our very own Trafalgar Square.

    After the reported 340,000 protesters who turned up last month in Paris to march against same sex marriage, the French organisers have booked out Trafalgar Square for a UK protest, again expecting to bring in thousands of supporters.

    However it could be the great British weather or the fact that most UK citizens support same sex marriage, as the live web cam shows, it’s quite a poor turn out and not quite the scenes of Paris last month.

    The organisers state that they have 3 purposes to their demonstrations:

    La Manif Pour Tous in Londom
    CREDIT: TheGayUK

    – First, because defending children rights is not a French or an English matter, but a global matter- Secondly, because we share the same values around marriage and family; we need to be united

    – Finally, because it’s obviously a way to send a message to the UK government, even if the demonstation [sic] is initiated by the French.

  • Christian B&B Owners Can Turn Away Gay Couples Legally

    Christian B&B owners who turned away gay customers, can now legally turn away homosexual couples.

    Peter and Hazelmary Bull were subject to an international media storm when they refused to let civilly partnered Martyn Hall and Steven Preddy share a room at their B&B, the Chymorvah Hotel, in Marazion in 2008, citing their religious beliefs as a reason for their decision.

    Mr Hall and Mr Preddy successfully sued the hotel owners for £3600 in 2011, in a landmark case which found that Mr. & Mrs. Bull had discriminated against the gay couple, on the grounds of sexual orientation under the Equalities Act.

    The hotel couple took their case to the Court of Appeal, where it was dismissed and are now waiting to have it heard in England’s highest court, the Supreme Court.

    The Independent now reports that the Chymorvah Hotel has been turned in to a respite care centre for Christians and will be run as a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation which means anyone staying under the Bull’s roof will have to abide by their rules, as long as those rules are set out in the company’s articles.

    Mrs Bull, 69, told the Daily Mail:

    “We are not fanatics. We have often been portrayed as being bigoted.

    “I am not homophobic. I have no problem with them – I have always thought of them as people and enjoy their company. It is just that we thought it would be wrong for here.

    “All we wanted was to be able to support marriage, to say no here.

    “This (the result of the trial) is the men’s human rights and they come into a collision with our human rights.”

    Mr Hall and Mr Preddy said:

    “The judge has confirmed what we already know – our civil partnership has the same status in law as a marriage between a man and a woman, and that, regardless of each person’s religious beliefs, no one is above the law.”

    Following the Hearing’s conclusion the Chymorvah found difficulties in attracting guests and was stripped of its Visit England status because of its policies and was not featured in many tourist guides.

    On the hotel’s website, customers are given a special note before booking a double bed which reads: ‘Here at Chymorvah we have few rules, but please note that as Christians we have a deep regard for marriage(being the union of one man to one woman for life to the exclusion of all others).
    Therefore, although we extend to all a warm welcome to our home, our double bedded accommodation is not available to unmarried couples. Thank you’

  • Sinead O’Connor Bids Farewell To The Pope

    Taking a swipe at the Pope, Sinead O’Connor has taken to her website to write that she’s hopeful for the Church to rebuild itself to house ‘The Holy Spirit’, after the Pope’s announcement that he’s to retire.

    (more…)