Government wants to excuse oppression on religious grounds

Spencer Fitz-GibbonGreen Party executive
New equality laws look set to be weakened by a New Labour exemption clause allowing religious employers to sack people for non-conformity with their religious doctrine - for example because they are of the "wrong" religion, are atheists or are gay.

The Independent on Sunday reports that the government considers it acceptable that an employer should discriminate "so as to comply with the doctrines of [their] religion - or so as to avoid conflicting with the strongly held religious convictions of a significant number of the religion's followers".

The Independent writes that the government introduced changes to excuse "discrimination against atheists or others who do not share the religious beliefs of their employer... following strong lobbying from evangelical groups. One of the biggest loopholes allows an employer to dismiss or fail to hire an individual if he is 'not satisfied' that they fit his own 'ethos based on religion or belief'." The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has said that the move would institutionalise homophobia in a way that "makes Section 28 look like a tea party".

Here are some views from within the Green Party:
"There is no justification, religious or otherwise, for discriminating against employees because of their sexuality" Darren Johnson AM, Leader of the Greens on the London Assembly and a vice president of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association.

"Blair has betrayed the Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual community. This amendment has nothing to do with equality and everything to do with prejudice. Just when society had finally started to build bridges, Blair has turned the clocks back and confirmed our second-class status. This 'permission to discriminate', and the accompanying media attention, will stir up a climate of prejudice and fear, and make work a misery for many."Nigel Tart, Green Party spokesperson on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. "Using 'religious-based' institutions as the starting point for an attack on individual people's well-established personal rights must be exposed for what it is - an undercover and highly dangerous attack on human rights. It is all too symptomatic of this government's lurch to the Right.

The Green Party will continue to speak out against populist sentiments which deny our deepest human freedoms."Janet Alty, Green Party spokesperson on Responsibilities and Rights