Peter & Hazelmary Bull, British Hotel Owners, Fined For Refusing Gay Couple A Room

01/18/11 06:38 AM AP

LONDON A British judge has fined a Christian couple for refusing to allow a gay couple the use of a double room at their hotel in southern England.

Judge Andrew Rutherford says Peter and Hazelmary Bull broke the law when they turned away Martyn Hall and his partner Steven Preddy in late 2008

Bull and his wife cited religious objections, but insisted their policy was not solely aimed at homosexuals but all unmarried couples.

Equality campaigners condemned the Bulls' decision.

In a written ruling at Bristol County Court on Tuesday, Rutherford awarded the gay couple 1,800 pounds (about $2,900) each in damages.

See original article at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/gay-hotel-owners-britain_n_810170.html

The news points out that the couple in question were in fact in a civil union the legal equivalent of marriage, so the "only to married couples" excuse is just a dodge.

Peter & Hazelmary Bull, British Hotel Owners, Fined For Refusing Gay Couple A Room

01/18/11 06:38 AM AP

In a written ruling at Bristol County Court on Tuesday, Rutherford awarded the gay couple 1,800 pounds (about $2,900) each in damages.

See original article at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/gay-hotel-owners-britain_n_810170.html

As their bigotry cost them $6000 I wonder if they have learned a lesson? That's a sizeable amount of profit lost for small hotel owners, not to mention their legal costs.

A few years ago, I was driving around the Scottish Highlands with my bf. It was getting late and we were having no luck finding accomodation at the B&Bs we stopped at in various little villages. I was starting to get paranoid and think that it might be because we were 2 men and they suspected we were gay. So, the next B&B we stopped at, I sent my bf in alone. He came back to the car to report that they had told him they had 2 rooms available: 1 with a double bed and one with 2 single beds. I told him to take the 1 with 2 single beds in case management changed their minds when they saw we were 2 men and we ended up having to sleep in the car. So, up we went to push our twin beds together, discreetly pulling them back apart again in the morning. Well, the next morning at breakfast, we were joined by what was clearly another gay male couple. In the course of our conversation, we learned that they had accepted the double bedded room and that the landlady had not batted an eyelid. We shared our story and all had a good laugh!