Christian hotel owners to take 'gay ban' case to Supreme Court

PA

A Christian couple who run a guesthouse in Cornwall are to fight against rulings of discrimination at the Supreme Court.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull refused to allow gay couple Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall, from Bristol, to stay together in a double room at Chymorvah House in Marazion back in 2008.

Since then, judges have twice ruled that the couple broke equality laws - but they are now taking the case further.

Mrs Bull told the BBC: "I feel that the law has gone too far. Certainly Pete and I are ready to see if we can achieve some sort of result whereby two lifestyles can live alongside each other.

"We need to apply for leave to appeal, because that wasn't given at the last court hearing. If we get it we could take it to the Supreme Court. If we don't get leave to appeal then I understand we would possibly take it to Brussels."

The pair are being backed but the Christian Institute, who say they were not discriminating because they applied their policy to all unmarried couples, not just same-sex couples.

But Mr Preddy and Mr Hall were joined together by a civil partnership, so Dr Michael Halls, from the charity Intercom Trust, which works with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, said: "[Mr and Mrs Bull] were discriminating against marriage and civil partnership.

"I think the conflict of rights in this case will be decided against them."

In February 2012, the Bulls took their case to the Court of Appeal and lost their campaign against the appeal that they had acted unlawfully.


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