Bid to end homophobia in pubs and bars
THE Government is to bring in laws aimed at ensuring gays and lesbians are not discriminated against in Britain's pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels.
Whitehall deems the legislation necessary to eradicate discrimination based on sexuality but details of how it will work are sketchy.
Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson said: "It's easy to forget how far we have come in the past eight years. We have repealed clause 28, equalised the age of consent for gay men and introduced civil partnerships. Now we are going even further.
Discrimination"Too often, gay and lesbian people can face discrimination in their everyday lives.
"I want to make sure that no-one gets refused a room at a hotel or a table in a restaurant because of their sexuality.
"We intend to end this sort of discrimination and make sure that gay men, lesbians and bisexual people can enjoy the same rights and freedoms as heterosexual people.
"We are committed to bringing in this legislation in October and this consultation seeks views on detailed questions about how it will apply."
The legislation will also mean gay clubs and bars are unable to discriminate against heterosexuals customers.
