AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!
LONDON (Reuters) - Faith groups joined forces on Tuesday to try to stop sweeping gay rights laws they say will force them to act against their religious beliefs.They will deliver a petition to the Queen and stage a torch-lit protest outside parliament as the Lords discusses the laws.The legislation, a cornerstone of the country's efforts to promote equal rights, would ban discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the basis of sexuality in a similar way to laws on sex and race discrimination.It would mean that hotels could be prosecuted for refusing to provide rooms for gay couples and parishes obliged to rent out halls for gay wedding receptions. Equally, gay bars would not be able to ban straight couples.Christian opponents argue the legislation is a major threat to their freedom of conscience and that they should not be penalised for acting according to their beliefs.But gay rights campaigners say the proposals would simply extend existing anti-discrimination laws to homosexuals."This is a very sensible and moderate proposal which seeks to protect people from unfair and unequal treatment," Angela Eagle, a Labour Party MP told BBC radio."It gives to lesbian and gay people ... exactly the same rights and protections as were granted in 1998 to people on the grounds of their religious beliefs."Thousands of religious opponents have already signed the petition to the Queen, asking her, as head of the Church of England, to request the government rethink the laws."The debate ... is a signal to the government of the need to acknowledge that these regulations do not currently strike the correct balance between two competing rights," said Thomas Cordrey, public policy analyst for the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship.The law, known as the Sexual Orientation Regulations, came into force in Northern Ireland on January 1 but the government postponed its introduction in England and Wales until April due to the scale of opposition.Britain took a major step towards equal rights in December 2005 when it introduced civil partnerships for gay couples, giving them the same rights as heterosexuals but stopping short of calling the ceremony a marriage.Since then more than 15,000 couples have registered, including pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
