Antigay Christian Hotel Owners Sued

A gay couple in England have filed a lawsuit against Christian hotel proprietors who refused to let the men stay together in the same room. Martyn Hall and his civil partner, Steven Preddy, are seeking PS5,000 in damages for "direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation," according to the Daily Mail.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull, who own the seaside hotel in Cornwall, contend they have a policy dating to 1986 permitting only married heterosexuals to share rooms. The Bulls had received a warning in August from the Stonewall gay rights group that they were violating the law.

Mrs. Bull said she took the two-night booking over the phone from Hall and Preddy, both of Bristol, in September because she wrongly assumed they were straight. When Hall and Preddy arrived and their reservation was rejected, the men reported the incident to the police.

A lawyer for the Bulls is defending the couple under the European Convention on Human Rights, which he says protects their right to act according to their religious beliefs.