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Thursday, 10 November 2005

Johnson backs ban on discrimination

HOTELS, pubs and restaurants will be banned from discriminating against lesbian, gay and bisexual people under new measures announced by Alan Johnson.

Amendments to the Government’s Equality Bill, tabled by Lord Alli and Lord Lester and approved by Parliament, will enable regulations to be made to prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson said: “This Government has made significant strides towards equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. We have equalised the age of consent, we have outlawed discrimination at work, and we are introducing civil partnerships.

“But lesbian, gay and bisexual people can still face unacceptable discrimination in their everyday lives – for example, being turned away from hotels, or getting a raw deal from medical or other service providers. That’s simply not fair, and we’re committed to putting it right.”

The Equality Bill, which was debated at its third Reading in the House of Lords this week, would also:

• Establish the new single Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) and define its purpose and functions;
• Make unlawful discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in the provision of goods and services; and
• Create a duty on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity between men and women (the gender duty) and to prohibit sex discrimination in the exercise of public functions.
  The scope of the regulations will be subject to full public consultation.

For access an easy read guide about the Equality Bill follow this link, or to view the Women and Equality Unit pages on the DTI website follow this link.