TO: Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe FROM: Core Issues Trust, UK
TOPIC: How evidence, rights, freedoms and conscience are trampled through view-point discrimination under the UK’s aggressive secular state.
DATE: 29th September, 2015. WORKING SESSION 12 Specifically selected topic: Combating hate crimes and ensuring effective protection against discrimination
According to media reports of one project worker in London funded by the Home Office to implement ‘Prevent’, the government’s counter terrorism strategy, belief that homosexuality is wrong may be a personal opinion, but "if you speak it out loud you might be breaking the law."1
Along with other socially conservative and faith groups in the UK, Core Issues Trust argues that it is valid to hold and express the view that homosexual practices may be changeable and that those formerly gay no longer wishing to identify as ‘gay’ or to practice homosexual behaviours, should be permitted access to professional support to help them change if they so request, and where possible.
A High Court Judgement (paragraph 98)2 supporting our view that persons who were formerly gay should not be discriminated against, found that:
Discrimination against a person because of his or her past actual or perceived sexual orientation, or because his or her sexual orientation has changed, is discrimination "because of…..sexual orientation". There is no requirement in the EA (Equality Act) that discrimination must relate to a person's current sexual orientation. All that is required is that the discrimination is "because of sexual orientation".
Yet on-going media reports indicate that the UK government is considering criminalising professionals offering help to clients wanting to end homosexual feelings and behaviours. Already an effective ban is in place on such support through the country’s leading mental health organisations against their members responding to such client requests. Training, continuing professional development, supervision and professional indemnity insurance are denied to therapists making use of even standard psychotherapeutic modalities to assist this minority population. Frequent requests to these bodies to produce the evidence that on average any such intervention is harmful, are ignored.
On 17th September 2015, (column 2058, Hansard3) Lord Black of Brentwood said in the House of Lords in support of Prime Minister Cameron’s strong opposition to such therapeutic interventions in the UK “But when you are dealing with bigots, I fear that words are not enough”.
Those groups motivated by orthodox Christian values with regard to human sexuality to help such people are not exempt from this effective ban. The country’s courts are now punitive in penalising any position resistant to the liberal orthodoxy that promotes homosexuality as an unchangeable category of existence, or of genetic origin.
(1) the rising intolerance of liberal orthodoxy among politicians in an increasingly intolerant UK state;
We request the OSCE to note :
(2) the un-censured propagation of hate-speech terms such a ‘bigot’ to denounce unpopular viewpoints about therapy for unwanted same-sex attractions.
1 18th September 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ehtGTKszV0
2 27th January 2014 http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2014/34.html
3 17th September, 2015. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldhansrd/text/150917- 0002.htm#15091736000777
