The case of Lillian Ladele – the Christian registrar threatened with dismissal unless she agreed to perform homosexual civil partnership registrations – is in the Court of Appeal on Monday.
BBC News, 19 May 2008
The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge debates the issue with Stonewall’s Derek Munn
BBC News, 10 July 2008
Miss Ladele wins her case at an employment tribunal
BBC News, 19 December 2008
Islington succeeds in overturning the earlier ruling
Lawyers acting for Miss Ladele say she was shunned by colleagues at Islington Council who mounted a witch hunt against her because of her Christian beliefs.
An employment tribunal accepted Miss Ladele’s claims of discrimination and harassment, but that was overturned by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in December last year.
The EAT did accept that Islington had acted in an improper, unreasonable and extraordinary manner but ruled it did not amount to religious discrimination.
Miss Ladele is now appealing against that EAT ruling. The Court of Appeal hearing is scheduled to last for two days.
The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge said: “Islington Council accepts it was able to provide civil partnerships registrations without forcing Lillian to take part.
“They could therefore have reasonably accommodated Miss Ladele’s genuinely held religious belief without affecting service delivery.
“That would have been a balanced approach which respected both sides of the debate. Instead they chose to make gay rights more important than religious rights.
“If this decision is allowed to stand it will help squeeze out Christians from the public sphere because of their religious beliefs on ethical issues.”
Reacting to last year’s ruling, Miss Ladele’s solicitor Mark Jones said in December: “The evidence showed that Lillian performed all of her duties to the same high standard for the LGBT community as she did for everyone.
“This case has been about the shortfall between the principle of equal dignity and respect for different lifestyles and world views, and Islington Council’s treatment of Lillian Ladele – conduct which the tribunal felt moved to describe as extraordinary and unreasonable.
“The case has also been about the reason why Islington Council decided to designate Lillian Ladele a civil partnership registrar, without informing her, when she had asked not to be made one; when the council expressly knew it would conflict with her religious belief (a religious belief it accepted was worthy of respect); and when the evidence showed that her involvement was not even required to help the council provide its civil partnership service.
“The council has since then pursued Lillian Ladele in disciplinary proceedings which it has made clear may ultimately lead to her dismissal.”