UK: Christian B&B owner ‘delighted’ with judge’s call for more religious freedom
A Christian B&B owner who went to court after turning away a gay couple says she is “delighted” the judge who ruled in her case has called for more religious freedom protections.
Civil partners Martin Hall and Steven Preddy were turned away from the Chymorvah Hotel near Penzance in 2008 under the Bulls’ policy of not allowing unmarried couples to share rooms.
Last year, Baroness Hale was one of five Supreme Court justices to reject the appeal the Bulls, who lost a long-running court dispute on the issue.
Speaking to Christian radio channel Premier, B&B owner Hazelmary Bull said: “Why on earth didn’t all this happen a few months ago when they had the opportunity in the Supreme Court to think this through thoroughly?
“At the same time, the real blessing has been that hopefully they will make provision within the law somehow for a more balanced approach to people of faith, and that’s people of lots of faiths, not just Christianity.
“Certainly as far as we who hold the traditional values of the Bible, that there will be some kind of room made for us within today’s society, to be able to run our business according to our belief.
“I’d be delighted if everything that we’d been through was going to bring some kind of benefit to somebody else. I’d be absolutely thrilled to bits.
“Out of all of this, that’s always been our hope, that we find a little bit more understanding as to the beliefs that Christians hold.
“I think there’s been an ignorance out there as to what true Christianity adheres to, and when these laws were made in the first place, they were far too sweeping.”
