Cay Couple Refused a B&B Bed

[flip_flop]

I read over the weekend that the B&B owners who refused to allow a gay couple to stay have received over 10,000 abusive and threatening phone calls and emails.

Ironic, isn't it, that they have been the subject of this amount of intolerance?

I personally feel the B&B owners were in the wrong, not for their beliefs (which they perfectly entitled to hold), but because they unlawfully discrimanted aganist the gay couple - but even so, has their discrimination warranted the level of abuse, threats of violence and intolerance they have received?

[smart1]

It doesn't stop with gay people - my son (a soldier) said one of his mates, fresh back from Iraq, was refused a hotel room - he slept in his car For Funks Sake! I don't understand when we became so mean.

[jackthehat]

ayg - The couple didn't actually get to stay at the hotel.

When my partner and I go away I usually book the hotel. I never, I mean, never stop to think of *warning* the hotelier that we are a gay couple.
I'm in a partnership, I want one room, preferably with a double bed, (although sleeping in twin beds is no hardship) and somewhere to make a cuppa.
The hotelier offers me such a room at a certain price and I accept the room and pay by debit card.
It must have been humiliating for this gay couple to turn up, (after having gone through the 'offer and acceptance' part of the contract with the hotelier) only to be informed that the hoteliers had not *warned* their guests that they were gonks......sorry..........Christians.
The gay couple were lucky enough to find somewhere else to stay that night but it would leave anyone fuming and put a crimp in what was supposed to be a pleasant night out with family or friends.

[sp1814]

askyourgran

From the reports in the papers last week, the two chaps weren't actually allocated a room or indeed had unpacked.

Once the owner saw they were a gay (or 'cay') couple, she refused to give them a room, on the grounds that it it was against her beliefs.

Not sure if she would've objected to them having a twin room.

By the way - she may live there, but it IS a business, and she broke current anti-discrimination laws.

These laws are in place because there are more people who'd be affected by prejudice if they weren't in place, than there are who's noses would be put out of joint now that they are.

[Kromovaracun]

askyourgran: If I remember right, the couple didn't get a chance to upset any guests. They arrived and were asked to leave before they could even get to the door.

--

She certainly doesn't deserve abuse, no (nobody does), but she does certainly deserve complaints. She knowingly broke the law (ergo, she chose which laws she did and didn't like) and was incredibly rude to people who had done nothing to her. Sure, she doesn't seem to think she was, but personally I'd be grossly offended if I was just shooed away when I turned up to a place I'd booked in advance purely because the owner was worried I might have sex (and, yes, it is almost certainly about sex).

[Chaffinch]

Do only Gay couples throw "hissy fits" askyourgran?

I'd rather stay in a B&B in a room next to a gay couple,. than one with 6 kids. I need my sleep!!

[society]

I haven't read the other posts as yet, but, I believe the owner has the right to allow whomever he / she would have stay in their place. So I'd say no.

[evedawn]

If the moral rights and wrongs are left aside...some pubs have "right of admission reserved" signs above their door. Do B n B's have this too? If so surely that would cover them legally?

[ummmm]

Yes they do evedawn but they cannot turn someone away for being gay. They can use another excuse though...but they cannot quote that one.

[jackthehat]

Evedawn - No.
The couple had booked and paid for a room - see my post above.

[evedawn]

Yeah Jack I see they completed the transaction ...I was only wondering about the legalities about what "right of admission reserved " pertained to.

[smart1]

I'm with you JtH

[jno]

as far as I know you're forbidden to ban people for such reasons as their race or sexuality. But a publican could ban them for being drunk or not adhering to a dress code. Ludwig drew a good parallel on another thread with the Boots assistant who wouldn't give a customer a morning-after pill (I think it was); I don't think these are qute the same situations, but they're on the same spectrum of how people in business have to treat the public.

[Justincider]

I think, if you run a business then, you should be able to refuse who you like.

[evedawn]

Thats what I thought justincider...but I guess if money (via online transaction) was already taken it'd constitute a contract of sorts and as such the business had already "agreed" to the mutual consent of seller (B n B) and purchaser (gay couple)...i'm no lawyer but this would make legal sense.

[DEN53]

I think the couple who run the B & B are in the wrong jobs. At the end of the day they are running a business, their personal beliefs should not come into it. They must be making a mint, to be picky on who they allow in.

[evedawn]

Thats hard Den...perhaps in every OTHER way they run a sucessful business and therefore contribute to the economy...they shouldn't be told what business they should or shouldn't be in just because of their beliefs.

[Justincider]

In that case evedawn, yes, I agree

[DEN53]

The couple were gay not mass murderers, for gods sake.

[evedawn]

Yes Den you are right most of us hardly care who sleeps next door...like someone else said I'd prefer that to a bunch of rowdy kiddies anyday! (which in itself could be seen as discriminatory to people with young children in this politically correct world!) However, it does not detract from the business owners right to have their views though they should have thought about that BEFORE money (and thus a binding contract of sorts) changed hands. As Zual said yes, I wonder if part of it has drummed up support for the owners AS WELL AS the gay couple. bet BOTH sides have strong supporters which goes to show as humans we will always beg to differ.