Christian guesthouse owners appeal ruling on gay policy

Christian guesthouse owners are appealing against a court's ruling that their policy on double rooms discriminates against homosexuals.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull were sued by Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall after they refused to allow them to stay in a double room at their guesthouse in B&B.

The Bulls turned the couple away in line with their policy of not letting out their double rooms to unmarried couples.

In January , Bristol County Court ruled in favour of Preddy and Hall and ordered the Bulls to pay them £3,600 in damages.

The judge determined that the Bulls' policy was discriminatory on the grounds of sexual orientation, but also gave them the permission to appeal, stating at the time that his ruling "does affect the human rights of the defendants to manifest their religion and forces them to act in a manner contrary to their deeply and genuinely held beliefs".

At the appeal hearing on Tuesday and Wednesday, lawyers for Mr and Mrs Bull will argue that the previous ruling was wrong in law.

The lawyers, funded by The Christian Institute, will also argue that it is legitimate for the Bulls to run their business in line with their religious beliefs.

The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge said it was wrong to say that the Bulls' double room policy was direct sexual orientation discrimination because the policy applied to heterosexual as well as homosexual unmarried couples.

“If it is argued that the double-bed policy was indirect discrimination (a policy that is applied to everyone but disproportionately affects a particular group) then the law makes room for that, providing it can be justified," he said.

“Trying to run a business according to the owners’ Christian values and ethics is a legitimate thing to do in a free and open society – especially when the business is also the owners’ own home. If this is not recognised in law then, in this instance, gay rights will have trumped religious rights.”