choosing your customers

[ORDERED WEB]

Right or wrong?
The gay couple who were refused a hotel room...

The judge indicated - the Christian owners of the B&B that refused a Gay couple a room, on the basis that they were Gay was discrimination. They argued that they only allowed married couples (and thus not gay couples who have been through a civil partnership ceremony)

Is it acceptable to refuse customers based on our beliefs (or lack of). Would the couple owning the B&B be better of starting a business where they are not faced with this choice?

 

[Drpepper]

Easy one this, it's up to you who you do business with. You don't have to sell anyone anything if you don't want to.

Just don't say why your not doing business with them, as the couple in this case should have done.

 

[bdw]

I regularly choose my customers based on their ability to communicate their requirements to me and our ability to communicate. If someone comes across as abrasive and awkward to me then I will choose not to take on their work. It's a perhaps a wee bit different when you refuse accommodation to someone based on their sexual preferences.

I am an atheist/humanist and I don't have any major hang ups with homosexuality but I have to watch what I say here. If I had a religion that frowned on this I would expect to be able to choose not to take them as customers. There are so many concessions being made to other religions in the UK so why is this one any different?

 

[thetime22]

I think wrong, there's law against this.

 

[numbergroup]

I think the owner of the B+B is right on this one. At the end of the day it's his home and if he's got these views ( which I don't agree with ) but I can understand his point of view.

It's not like he runs a 100 room hotel, He lives, eats and sleeps there. If he's doesn't like gay partners staying at his home, that's his choice. I'm sure years ago this wouldn't have even made the local rag

 

[ORDERED WEB]

If he's doesn't like gay partners staying at his home, that's his choice.

I personally think that if this is an issue, then they are in the wrong business

 

[evocart]

They were wrong to be predudiced against people that were different to them, you shouldn't refuse people due to age, sex, oriantation, colour or weight, and if you can't accept this then you should not be in a position where you have to choose people based on your own beliefs.

At the same time though you get hotels that wont allow people under a certain age or hen and stag parties which again is descrimination as you can't put everyone into one catagory as not everyone/group behaves the same.

 

[bdw]

At the same time though you get hotels that wont allow people

That's actually a good point. If anyone took a hotel to court for refusing to accommodate all male or all female parties they would probably win.

 

[ORDERED WEB]

That's actually a good point. If anyone took a hotel to court for refusing to accommodate all male or all female parties they would probably win.

But the hotel could argue that hen or stag parties are never quiet, always raucous, and disturb other guests. They are protecting their business for business reasons, not prejudicial reasons

 

[numbergroup]

That's actually a good point. If anyone took a hotel to court for refusing to accommodate all male or all female parties they would probably win.

There's a solution !

So just don't have a stag/hen party, It's a gay night....

 

[evocart]

Not neccerserily, as they would be refusing due to the possibility if roudy behaviour and not because they are male or female, same with shops they don't have to serve customers if they are argumentative, drunk or agressive, but they can't refuse to serve someone becouuse they are black, gay or fat.

 

[bdw]

neccerserily

Wow - that's a good one!

 

[ORDERED WEB]

Wow - that's a good one!

its a northern thing

 

[Drpepper]

same with shops they don't have to serve customers if they are argumentative, drunk or agressive, but they can't refuse to serve someone becouuse they are black, gay or fat.

A shop can refuse to serve anyone with no requirement to give a reason beyond "we just don't want to"!

 

[vvaannmmaann]

IIRC the hoteliers have a piece on their website stating that same sex couples were not welcome(or something like that) that included male/female couples.
Stonewall asked them to remove it,they didn't.
I imagine it was set up by Stonewall to test the current legal situation.

 

[bdw]

That sounds more like it, .