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Original poster

Gay couple turned away from B & B

129 replies

shandyleer · 22/03/2010 20:29

Apparently the lady proprietor, on seeing two men arrive, hummed and hedged and muttered about their only being one bed in the room etc, before actually coming out (Ooh, no pun intended) and turning them away. Saw a brief clip of the b & b owners being interviewed and the man said something to the effect of "we have our children in the house to think of".

I won't be rushing to book a stay at their place ...

OP posts:

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2010 21:56

The law overrides religious belief.

Which when you think about it is hypocrisy.
Government sanctioned discrimination.

Gay40 · 22/03/2010 22:01

No, it says that you have freedom to practice whatever religion you like, but you can't treat people differently.

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2010 22:20

But you can't practice the religeon fully if the government creates laws that prevent you from doing so.

ChynaDoll2006 · 22/03/2010 22:25

So basically you can't have an opinion on homosexuality?

choosyfloosy · 22/03/2010 22:30

you can have any opinion you like

but you can't use that opinion to prevent people from accessing your service

tbh she should have welcomed them in, provided twin beds only (with little twirly lamps) and then spent the night standing at the end of the bed praying loudly for them

choosyfloosy · 22/03/2010 22:33

the sin of sodom was the sin of not being hospitable wasn't it?

if i'm perfectly honest i sympathise with her slightly, in that it is her house

but it's not compulsory to sell B&B

seeker · 22/03/2010 22:35

Find me a religion which has as one of its tenets of faith that "if thou runnest a b and b, though shalt not let a gay couple stay therin'.

stripeywoollenhat · 22/03/2010 22:40

'It may be unlawful to discriminate against same sex couples, but where does a person's right to practise their deeply held religious beliefs come in this?'

neillybeag - unless i've missed something, the b&b owner was being asked to rent a room, not practise anything.

(i am pretty sure that gay b&b owners are not allowed to refuse to rent their rooms out to people whose religious beliefs they find repugnant, either)

PrivetDancer · 22/03/2010 22:41

I'm actually quite surprised this doesn't happen more often. Maybe it does but it doesn't get reported.
Of course it's wrong, but I've wondered before if gay couples get frosty receptions when turning up to small family run type places. You do hear of people not letting unmarried couples stay in the same room too.

2shoes · 22/03/2010 22:41

discrimination is discrimination however you dress it up.

BoneyBackJefferson · 22/03/2010 22:44

tbh she should have welcomed them in, provided twin beds only (with little twirly lamps) and then spent the night standing at the end of the bed praying loudly for them

The article says (i think, but it may be a different paper) that she said that she would have offered a different room but they were full.

Gay40 · 22/03/2010 22:47

I have never been turned away from any hotel, B+B or whatever. I have never been asked if the double room is a mistake, or do I want a twin.
I have been looked at strangely when a friend and I booked a twin room for a business trip, and when we got to the room it was a double and we asked to be moved to a twin.
The receptionist said "Well, this is Brighton."

tutu100 · 22/03/2010 22:48

They were interviewed by my local news team. In the interview they said they would have let them stay in seperate rooms, but all their other rooms were fully booked that night.

I feel that although they are providing a service it is there house and they do have their faith. They never suggested they felt their children were in danger from the couple, but their belief meant they felt they would be hypocritical to let them share a bed. Although I would imagine a lot of unmarried couples have probably shagged at their B&B.

They also stated that there had been a misunderstanding and they thought it was a Mr and Mrs coming they would have explained before the booking was made if they had known.

I feel sorry for both couples, but it is their home so at the end of the day I think they should be able to say who can stay - just might not mean their business does very well.

Gay40 · 22/03/2010 22:50

Some religions demand that infidels are murdered. Think Crusades.
So yes - it is right that the law overrides religion.
Have whatever thoughts you like, but behave in a non-discriminatory manner.

cluttered · 22/03/2010 23:20

Yes, would it be OK for someone to refuse to accept black guests on the basis that they believed people of different ethnicities shouldn't mix? I am sure Afrikaaner churches in South Africa used to preach that, but I can't believe people would think that was acceptable behaviour for a B+B owner.

Not all Christians share these people's belief so this may reflect their prejudice rather than their religion : maybe they have gravitated towards a particular denomination that supports their innate worldview.

LadyBiscuit · 22/03/2010 23:23

If you have strongly held religious beliefs then don't run a B&B

onagar · 23/03/2010 00:02

I think what they did was disgusting and unforgivable.

"it is their home at the end of the day"

So what other crimes are you allowed to commit just because 'it's in your own home'?

And yes the law overrides religion and so it should. Religion is just another opinion.

blogpage · 23/03/2010 01:25

So do they disallow unmarried heterosexual couples on religious grounds too? Or people wearing clothing of mixed fibres and the other things outlawed in Leviticus?

blogpage · 23/03/2010 01:27

Here are the comments on the Daily Mail website

here

seeker · 23/03/2010 07:00

Let's hope they don't serve prawn coctails for dinner. Oh, and menstruating women should be banned too!

spongebrainbigpants · 23/03/2010 07:34

I don't know why I bothered to read those comments on the DM site - could have predicted them really .

"At least she had the decency to be honest with them"! Lol - yes, she was honest about her bigotry and should be applauded for it .

neume · 23/03/2010 08:30

I have sympathy with both couples here...on the one hand I think people should be able to decide what goes on in their home, and B&B guests should be sensitive to this.

On the other hand, before you even get legal about discrimination, I don't think their behaviour was very Christian...they have caused distress and embarassment to a couple that in their own eyes were doing nothing wrong. Rather than turning them away, she should have chalked it up to a mis-understanding and made sure her children knew that while she did not agree with having gay couples sharing a room in her house, it was also not her place to judge and she was showing them hospitality and compassion.

I do not share her views, but think she could have allowed them to stay without being a hypocrite, and still been consistent with her faith.

Alambil · 23/03/2010 09:38

but if she only wants wholesome customers, why not advertise as a christian only B&B? That way, it's far more likely the clientel will be like minded....

Still think they should be hauled over coals for this though - utterly repugnant attitude.

Alambil · 23/03/2010 09:40

oops meant to put "wholesome"

blogpage · 23/03/2010 09:43

Actually there are plenty of gay Christians

"That way, it's far more likely the clientel will be like minded...."

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