- Conference
- 2010 National LGBT Conference
- Date
- 29 July 2010
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that:
1.The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 were intended to implement, in part, the European Union (EU) Employment Equality Framework Directive 2000 but the regulations grant an exemption where employment is for a religious purpose for which the directive did not provide and upon which there had been no consultation;
2.Responding to a complaint from the National Secular Society, the European Commission issued a reasoned opinion in 2004 that the United Kingdom (UK) regulations did not comply with the directive;
3.The UK Government included clauses to achieve compliance in its Equality Bill enacted in 2010; but,
4.The House of Lords amended the Bill to delete these clauses and thereby retain the religious exemption to which the Government gave way.
Conference notes in particular that the Government was defeated in the House of Lords by five votes and that eight Church of England bishops voted against the Labour Government.
Conference condemns this form of religious privilege and calls for an end to the religious exemption in the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and successive religious exemption which may appear in any future Bill.
Conference instructs the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee to campaign for these objectives.