Brody's Scribbles... Some Of Us Are More Equal Than Others

By Tim Trent (Devon, UK) Mar 24 | It was inevitable that some silly guesthouse owner would turn away a gay couple and hit the news. The Equality Act 2006 is unambiguous. It is illegal to discriminate. And the very silly owner of what appears to be a very nice guesthouse in Cookham Dean, one which has excellent references on Tripadvisor, decided to turn away on arrival Michael Black and John Morgan, a gay couple who had booked a stay. 

Susanne Wilkinson, the owner of the Swiss Bed and Breakfast of Terry's Lane, Cookham Dean, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 9RT, United Kingdom is, I am sure, a very lovely lady, and one of strong, if imperfect, moral convictions. Those strong moral convictions are fine when they remain personal, but when they spill over into the realms of business and affect those with a right not to be discriminated against, then it's wrong.

Interestingly it also means that the website of the B&B is incorrect. It says:

A warm & friendly welcome awaits all guests at Susanne Wilkinson's Swiss Bed & Breakfast in the idyllic village of Cookham, near Maidenhead in Berkshire. This Swiss-English family offers first class hospitality in their spacious & comfortable home to business, tourist or family visitors from all around the world. English, French and German spoken

Well, obviously unless you are gay! Well, to be fair I expect English, French and German are spoken, but you are not welcome, especially if you want to share a bed. As the BBC said:

A gay couple were turned away from a Berkshire guest house by the owner who said it was "against her convictions" for two men to share a bed.  Ms Wilkinson told the BBC: "They gave me no prior warning and I couldn't offer them another room as I was fully booked."I don't see why I should change my mind and my beliefs I've held for years just because the government should force it on me."I am not a hotel, I am a guest house and this is a private house."

That "could not offer them an another room" thing: She doesn't seem to have a twin bedded room! Have a virtual tour of her place! A little economical with the truth there, I think! Or did she want to separate them? Nice rooms, though. 

Not that it matters, but we're not talking about turning a couple of punk kids who were going to wreck the place away, we're talking of a 56 and 62 year old couple, one of whom (assuming this is a recommendation) is leader of the Lib Dem group on Huntingdon Town Council. But a couple of gay kids have the same rights not to be discriminated against. and it doesn't matter whether this is a guesthouse or a high class hotel, there must be no discrimination on any grounds. Diversity must be respected and accepted.  Discrimination is no longer acceptable, assuming that it was, once.

Is that notice acceptable? The civilised world says not. And if it said "We cater to Heterosexual Trade Only", what then? 

This article will come as a surprise to many folks in the USA where it is wholly lawful to discriminate against gay folk, where you can lose your job, your home, because you are gay, but here in the Old World, Human Rights are very much more important.

There is still a problem, though. Susanne Wilkinson has firm beliefs that two gentlemen should not share a double bed. I very much doubt Susanne will move from her principles. And she says quite clearly:

"I am not a hotel, I am a guest house and this is a private house."

On the face of it this seems unfair. She is a private citizen and has a right to her opinion, even if others disagree. But she has taken her private opinions into her business and, by turning away guests who had booked in good faith, she has broken the law as a business. It stops being a private house the moment she takes in paying guests. It's a business. Period.

I can see her point, but it just is not valid. She's ignorant of the law, but that is no excuse. This is not, though, someone we should throw the book at. This is someone who should be given a mighty slap on the wrist and monitored to ensure that she either shuts her business down or complies with the law.

She isn't entitled to do this:

So she can't do it to gay folk either.

Maybe she should shut her business down if she can't live in a civilised country and supply services without discrimination. I'm beginning to change my mind about throwing the book at her.