B&B Sued Over Marriage Policy

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
View attachment 320
A Cornish B&B is being sued for refusing to let a gay couple share a room.

Christians Peter and Hazelmary Bull from Marazion say it goes against their beliefs.

Now a couple are accusing the Chymorvah Private Hotel of discrimination.

The website says only married couples are allowed to have a double bed but they are happy to sort out singles for anyone else.

The owners are being backed by a Christian charity.

But they are facing a damages claim of five thousand pounds.
Article PirateFM
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Too many cases like this are clearly having a go. There are two sides of argument, entrenched. What was known at the inception? Does a contract exist? People love each other .. feelings can often be heightned .. very little to do with physical affection.
 

BayOfPlenty

Member
I'm firmly with the B & B owners on this one. There is no shortage of other establishments who'd willingly take the couple's money (which I'd be happy to do myself, were I in that business). Ultimately, it's their guest house & it should be their decison who stays there.
 

tabtab13

Active Member
I'm all for live and let live, but I tend to agree with BoP. People shouldn't be forced into doing what is in effect a business transaction with others that they don't want to - on any grounds. You may not agree with the reasons in this case but it should be the B&B's choice on who they want staying there. If I was told that for some reason, a B&B didn't want my custom, I'd just go elsewhere. Suing them just wouldn't cross my mind.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
Difficult subject this and has clearly struck a chord.
The news article didn't make it clear the reasons why the gay couple are planning on suing the private hotel. My best guess would be indirect sexual discrimination.... But in any case I think more questions need to be asked before judgement can be passed:
Were the gay couple told that only married couples were welcome in rooms with double beds? If not are they actually out of pocket if they paid a deposit?
Is the hotel discriminating against couples who are heterosexual and not married? What... do they ask for marriage certificates when they book?
What business is it of the hotel what sexual orientation any of their customers are?
Did the gay couple know of rule and are they trying to capitalise on what I would consider a bad judgement by the hotel?

My point is if you intend to run a B and B or hotel you have to like people. You also have to be able to deal with all those odd things people do and say. One things for sure, if you are inviting the public to undress and stay in the same house as you... you should be prepared to cope with their sexuality.
My understanding is that if the couple wasn't married then they could still have a double room, but single beds... Is that meant to stop any kind of sexual intercourse?
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
Here's the full story from the BBC




Gay couple challenge Cornwall B&B accommodation refusal.
View attachment 321
A gay couple from Bristol have appeared in court alleging sexual-orientation discrimination after they were refused a double room at a Cornish B&B.
Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy are claiming up to £5,000 in damages at Bristol County Court.
Peter and Hazelmary Bull, who run the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion, said they had a policy of banning unmarried couples from sharing a bed.
The Bulls, who are Christians, deny the claim brought under equality laws.

Mr Bull, 70, and his 66-year-old wife say their policy - operated since they bought the hotel in 1986 - is based on their beliefs about marriage and not a hostility to sexual orientation.
Mrs Bull told the court that the couple's faith meant they did not believe in sex before marriage and would not allow it under their roof.
"We accept that the Bible is the holy living word of God and we endeavour to follow that."
Making legal submissions, their barrister James Dingemans QC said: "It is not part of the defendants' case to undermine the rights of same-sex partners.
'Hotel policy explained' "The defendants do submit their policy is directed to sex and not sexual orientation and is lawful."
Mr Preddy told the court he had booked a room over the phone after looking at the hotel's website and had not seen its room policy, which was displayed only on its booking form.
When he and Mr Hall arrived at the hotel he said they did not see any prominent Christian tapestry in the hallway.
"When we arrived we spoke to a lady and she got Bernie Quinn [a worker at the hotel] to come and talk to us and explain the hotel's policy," he said.
"I would say the body language wasn't great and it was clear we were not welcome in the hotel," Mr Preddy added.
After being turned away, they reported the Bulls to the police, the court was told.
The case was adjourned until Tuesday.
Article BBC
 

treeve

Major Contributor
All rather symptomatic of the age we live in where reporting more is done for media effect, rather than the real issues here, or anywhere.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
Well, I'll agree that there is an amount of media sensationalism going on... there always will be when a minority or sexual group hit the tabloids.
Do you think the hotel is right? or wrong? to have such a policy (forget about the court case and the gay couple, I'm just interested what people think of their policy in general).
 

treeve

Major Contributor
The social comment as the rights and wrongs, is more to be sorted now in the courts as a prolonged discussion over more financially weighted and media hype than reality allows. It is so long now the matter of people who actually care deeply for each other and are a part of The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name it seems to be a Test Case about money, and not the love which they share. The stance of the B&B appears to make a clear point of of their choice, to me, it is more about being unreasonable attacked than anything else. If their choice was a matter of later imposition, perhaps; as it is it appears to me they want a holiday for free.
 

Halfhidden

Untouchable
Administrator
I'm not sure why they have chosen to sue for £5k, but I do know that in a civil court most cases are about financial compensation.
This isn't a black and white case because we have four people with very different ideal and very strong opinions that clash.
I'm not saying that the gay couple are right to sue... but I am questioning such a strange and VERY personal condition set in a booking form of a hotel.
Who are these hoteliers to judge people who are not married. Tracey and I didn't marry for 11 years.
Yet in complete contrast our EX neighbours (the one who dumped her pets all over Cornwall after she became bored with them) is on her 3rd marriage and she is only 30...
 

CHILLYWILLY

Active Member
Slightly off the thread but of a similar nature, I see that FIFA is being critisied by 'Gay Rights' groups for allowing the World Cup Einals to take place in Quatar where homosexuality is a criminal offence.
 
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