Gay Christian group criticises new equality commissioner

Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
Monday January 21, 2008

A gay rights group has compiled a dossier criticising the record of one of the UK's newly appointed equality commissioners, Joel Edwards.

The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) said Edwards had a history of "agitating against the full inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community under equality law".

The group was today printing a 10-page document on the appointment of Edwards, leader of the Evangelical Alliance, to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Using information from the alliance website, the LGCM set out to demonstrate that Edwards "in his own words and actions is unfit to be an equality commissioner".

In February 2007, it says, Edwards wrote to the government asking for exemptions from equality legislation in the provision of goods and services for lesbian and gay people.

Specifically, he asked that Christian agencies be allowed to opt out of dealing with gay couples: "What harm can be done by exempting certain agencies which, as a matter of conscience, are unable to accommodate such requests? Contrary to popular portrayals, those who hold to such principles are not merely bigots or narrow-minded fundamentalists."

Two months later, in a newsletter, the alliance commented that laws requiring non-discrimination would deprive Christian organisations from their right to discriminate: "The outcome suggests that, rather than balancing rights, the right to live a homosexual lifestyle will effectively trump the right to live a Christian lifestyle in public ... following other controversial developments within the human rights industry, it appears that a hierarchy of rights is emerging, with religion and belief deemed bottom of the pile and subservient, especially to sexual orientation rights."

The LGCM chief executive, the Rev Richard Kirker, said the dossier would be sent to the EHRC chair, Trevor Phillips, Edwards, other commissioners and Harriet Harman, the secretary of state for equality.

"It's a prerequisite that anyone chosen should be chosen on the basis that they've not disparaged other strands. It's mystifying, unless he has quietly and privately altered his views. The appointment brings the commission into disrepute and Edwards should resign."

The Evangelical Alliance has said its focus is not "on human beings who experience same-sex attraction but on homosexual practice which we regard as a behaviour choice, together with associated attempts to normalise it."

In a 1998 statement, entitled Faith, Hope and Homosexuality, the alliance called on congregations to welcome and accept lesbians and gays in the expectation that "they will come in due course to see the need to change their lifestyle in accordance with biblical revelation and orthodox church teaching".

"We urge gentleness and patience in this process, and ongoing care even after a homosexual person renounces same-sex sexual relations."

It also commended the work of organisations seeking to help homosexual Christians live a celibate life and those which "responsibly assist homosexuals who wish to reorient to a heterosexual lifestyle". A May 2006 event featured True Freedom Trust, a group offering to "cure" people of homosexuality.

Edwards said he welcomed and supported the presence of lesbian and gay people on the Equalities Commission.

"I therefore find it a shame that the LGCM considers my belief system less equal than others and a barrier to my serving the British public.

"The faith community is actively working for equality and justice in many different areas and I would be disappointed if my contribution to this commission is only seen in the light of issues around sexuality."

An EHRC spokesman said Edwards had the full support of the secretary of state: "He is well qualified as leader of the Evangelical Alliance and brings expertise both as a faith leader and a senior figure in the black community.

"As regards the issue of his views on a particular piece of legislation, no two commissioners share the same views on every matter. However, the views of the commission on the sexual orientation regulations remain unchanged. This has been expressed on several occasions by our chair and there can be no exceptions to equality. The law is the law and it is our remit to uphold that."