Men banned from lesbian parties
An Australian tribunal ruled for a lesbian and bisexual women’s party planner’s ban on men from parties.
Tags: Bisexual Women, Lesbian Parties, Lesbian Women, Party Planner, TribunalGay men booted from altar duty Canada.com
A gay man has filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal against a Catholic bishop after being removed from his volunteer job as an altar server because of his sexual orientation.
Jim Corcoran was asked to step down from his role at St. Michael’s Church in Cobourg, 100 kilometres east of Toronto, after 12 of his fellow parishioners complained to the diocese of Peterborough.
In an interview, Corcoran said he was told by his parish priest in April that he and his partner would have to end their altar duties. He said it was Bishop Nicola De Angelis’s decision, not the priest’s.
Corcoran added that he and his partner of 19 years have been chaste for years, which makes the decision to remove them even more difficult to comprehend.
Corcoran, 50, said he is seeking $20,000 from each parishioner and $25,000 from the bishop. He said he wants the money to be donated to a charity of his choice.
See Gay men booted from altar duty
Canada.com
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Sask. appeal court asked whether commissioners can opt out of same-sex marriages
REGINA — The Saskatchewan government wants the province’s highest court to weigh in on proposed legislation that would allow marriage commissioners to not perform same-sex marriages if it is contrary to their religious beliefs.
Justice Minister Don Morgan said Friday that the government is referring legislative options to the Court of Appeal for its opinion on whether the proposals meet the requirements of the Charter of Rights.
“We’ve given the Court of Appeal two suggested options: one that we grandfather the existing marriage commissioners that are reluctant or refusing to perform a same-sex marriage, and the other one would be to create a religious exemption for those and for future marriage commissioners,” he said.
“It would require us to have two pools of marriage commissioners. One that would be willing to perform the same-sex marriage and one that would not.”
Whether officials can refuse to marry same-sex couples is the subject of a lawsuit and a complaint before the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal - both of which are being heard by Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench.
The complaint arose in 2005 when marriage commissioner Orville Nichols, a devout Baptist, told a gay couple he wouldn’t marry them because it went against his religious beliefs.
See Sask. appeal court asked whether commissioners can opt out of same … The Canadian Press
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Transexual lesbian loses party bias case
A TRANSEXUAL lesbian banned from attending an all-female party has had her discrimination case thrown out.
Dr Tracie O’Keefe lost her three-year battle this week, after the Equal Opportunity Tribunal ruled the organisers of “Sappho’s Party” - an all-lesbian event held in Adelaide - were within their rights to refuse her entry.
The Sydney psychotherapist wrote to organisers in 2005 after she was handed a flyer advertising the Adelaide Hills party.
“I am someone who has lived as a woman for 35 years and considered in my country of origin, England, and my adopted country, Australia, as legally female,” Dr O’Keefe wrote.
“Although initially I was raised as a boy, I have lived as a female since I was 15 years old, where I was still legally a child, therefore I was raised both male and female. I would like to come to your event with my long-term female partner of 12 years.”
But a reply sent to Dr O’Keefe refused her request. “. . . this event is specifically being organised for those lesbians raised female from birth who feel the need to meet as a specific group,” organisers wrote.
“Our intention is affirmative action for this group. Therefore it is not appropriate for you to attend.”
See Transexual lesbian loses party bias case
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Settlement in Microsoft gay bias case
(London) Microsoft and a British worker who sued the computer giant in London for alleged discrimination have settled the case out of court.
Details of the settlement were not released under a confidentiality agreement between the two sides.
Jamie Durrant, 38, claimed in his complaint to a labor tribunal that the company …
Tags: Bias Case, Computer Giant, Confidentiality Agreement, Discrimination, Gay Bias, Gay London, Jamie Durrant, Microsoft, Microsoft Case, TribunalGay worker sues Microsoft for discrimination
(London) A British worker for Microsoft is suing the computer giant in London, alleging discrimination.
Jamie Durrant, 38, claims in his complaint to the labor tribunal that the company failed to take action despite numerous complaints he was being harassed by fellow workers.
Durrant, who earned about $100,000 a year designing video …
Tags: Computer Giant, Fellow Workers, Gay Discrimination, Gay London, Gay Worker, Microsoft, TribunalTG woman heads to tribunal over gym
TG woman heads to tribunal over gym
Tags: Tribunal, WomanLandmark rulings strengthen gay rights in UK workplace
Discrimination against gay people in the workplace will be treated more harshly by the courts after two landmark judgments yesterday.
Lillian Ladele, the registrar who refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies “as a matter of religious conscience”, lost her case against Islington council in north London. And Stephen English, a married man who was driven out of his job after being repeatedly called a “faggot” by colleagues had an employment tribunal ruling that he had not been the victim of sexual harassment overturned by the court of appeal.
The employment appeal tribunal ruled that Islington council had been entitled to discipline Ladele and threaten her with dismissal, even though her conduct was the result of “her strong and genuinely held Christian beliefs”.
The council had been entitled to the view that “it was unacceptable discrimination for the claimant to refuse to participate in civil partnership ceremonies. It offended some gay employees and involved discriminating against third parties making use of the services of the council.” Although the tribunal acknowledged that changes in social attitudes towards gay people could be “genuinely perplexing” for some religious groups, it ruled that it was proportionate for the council to require its registrars to conduct civil partnerships. Ladele, whose case was financed by the Christian Institute’s Legal Defence Fund, said she would appeal.
See Landmark rulings strengthen gay rights in workplace
guardian.co.uk, UK
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Straight man wins claim over gay taunts
Stephen English, 56, who is heterosexual, was repeatedly called a “faggot” by workmates purely because they found out he had been educated at boarding school and lived in Brighton, the Court of Appeal heard.
The colleagues knew he was not gay but still suggested, in an in-house company magazine, that he had worn “skin-tight Lycra cycling shorts” to Brighton’s Gay Pride parade.
Mr English, 56, who worked as a sales representative for blind and awning maker Thomas Sanderson of Portsmouth, claims he had to leave his position because of the campaign of abuse.
He made a compensation claim for sexual harassment but it was initially rejected by an employment tribunal, and then by the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
However, the Court of Appeal reversed those decisions saying Mr English had been sexually harassed by the homophobic comments and it was irrelevant whether he was in fact gay or not.
See Straight man wins claim over gay taunts
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
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RC Bishop hits out at adoption agency over gay couples rule
A Catholic bishop is attempting to disown an adoption agency because it is to comply with new laws that require it to consider gay couples as potential foster parents. Catholic Caring Services, one of 11 Catholic adoption agencies in Britain, has signalled that it will abide by the Sexual Orientation Regulations that come into force on 1 January 2009, which prohibit fostering agencies from discriminating against lesbian and homosexual couples.
But Patrick O’Donoghue, the bishop of Lancaster, said the decision marked an “irretrievable breakdown” between the diocese and the agency and accused it of “capitulation” with “no attempt at resistance”. In a pastoral letter issued to clergy and lay people, the bishop said the charity was no longer Catholic and could not operate in the name of the Lancaster diocese: “All churches, parishes, schools and other Catholic organisations or societies are to have no formal associations with Catholic Caring Services and the new charity is no longer entitled to have access to diocesan collections.”The agency occupies four properties in Preston and the terms of their leases are to be reviewed according to the bishop’s letter. The bishop also suggested the agency might be asked to repay legacies and bequests left by Catholics.
Of Britain’s 11 Catholic adoption agencies, five are complying with the new regulations and one is closing its adoption service. The remaining five have yet to reveal their decision although two charities that were refused permission by the Charity Commission to raise objections to the new law have appealed to the Charity Tribunal.
The agencies find new homes for hundreds of children a year but a refusal to comply with the new laws would mean legal action or loss of funding from local authorities. However, the agencies believe accepting the new legislation involves violating church teaching.
See Bishop hits out at adoption agency over gay couples rule
The Observer, UK
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