UK: Christian 'bullied' for Refusing to Marry Gays

May 21,2008
By Nick Fagge

A CHRISTIAN registrar was bullied and threatened with the sack when she refused to carry out “sinful” homosexual marriages, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Lillian Ladele, 47, asked to be excused from conducting civil partnerships for gay men and women because of her deeply-held religious beliefs. But she says her town hall bosses gave her an “ultimatum” to perform the ceremonies or face dismissal for gross misconduct, and was treated like a “pariah” by colleagues when she refused.

Yesterday Miss Ladele wept as she told the employment tribunal she was being forced to choose between her Christian beliefs and her £31,000-a-year job at Islington Council in north London which she has held for nearly 16 years. the rest