PrintMarch 24, 2009
Same Seaside Sex
Peter and Hazelmary Bull own a small seaside hotel in Marazion near Penzance in Cornwall. They have owned the hotel since 1986. In all of those years the Christian couple has had a policy of renting their double occupancy rooms only to married customers.
Their website specifically states: “We have few rules but please note that out of a deep regard for marriage we prefer to let double accommodation to heterosexual married couples only.”
They are being sued to allow gay couples to share the same room at their hotel. The UK Daily Mail reports:
Martyn Hall, who lives with his civil partner Steven Preddy, has lodged a county court claim for up to £5,000 in damages alleging 'direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation'.
But the Bulls deny the charge, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples, both heterosexual and gay, from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel….
Mrs. Bull, a 62-year-old great-grandmother, said that even her brother and his female partner had to stay in separate rooms when they visited the hotel.
But the Bulls deny the charge, saying they have a long-standing policy of banning all unmarried couples, both heterosexual and gay, from sharing a bed at the Chymorvah Private Hotel….
Mrs. Bull, a 62-year-old great-grandmother, said that even her brother and his female partner had to stay in separate rooms when they visited the hotel.
Well the Brits can’t have that kind of prudish moral behavior -- now can they? Mrs. Bull is quoted as saying:
“I have had people clearly involved in affairs and under-age people who have tried to book in here for sex, and I have refused them the same as I refused these gentlemen because I won't be a party to anything which is an affront to my faith under my roof.”
A spokesman for the gay organization suing the couple stated, “We look forward to the hotel changing its policy to reflect equality, the 21st Century and the law.”
Hotels don’t have policies. People do. The Bull’s policy seems (1) consistent, (2) moral, and (3) fair. We will have to wait for the outcome of the case to see if any of those three values still exist in Great Britain.
Hat tip: John McMahon
