Hall and Preddy A Bristol judge has ruled the Christian owners of a hotel acted unlawfully when they refused to give a gay couple a double room. Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy have been awarded £1,800 each in damages at Bristol County Court, after claiming the action in September 2008 was direct discrimination. Chymorvah Hotel owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull said as Christians they did not believe unmarried couples should share a room. Under British Law Hall and Preddy have all the same legal rights and protections as a heterosexual married couple. Preddy told BBC outside court: "Because we wanted to bring our new dog we checked he would be welcome. It didn't even cross our minds that in 2008 in Britain we needed to ask if we would be." He said that the judgement showed that civil partnerships were legally the same as marriages. "Judge Rutherford has found that our treatment was an act of direct discrimination and therefore a breach of the law." The Bulls are considering an appeal. "Our double-bed policy was based on our sincere beliefs about marriage, not hostility to anybody," Hazelmary Bull told BBC.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 19th January 2011 - 10:19am