Is this the start of a backlash?

I have a feeling that we are far from hearing the last of the ramifications of the UK government's decision to refuse the request of the Catholic Church to have its adoption societies excluded from the new legislation which will give equal access to all goods and services to gays and lesbians (and others).

It's being portrayed as an issue about the right of gays and lesbians to be treated equally with heterosexuals by adoption agencies. But the government decision potentially opens the door to many other policies and practices being changed.

Dave Hill , who is no bigot, finds himself puzzling over this question:

If I object to the government allowing publicly-funded Catholic adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples (which I would) should I not also object to my local authority allowing Orthodox Jews to have the municipal swimming pool to themselves during Sunday afternoons (which I don't)?

Here's my answer:

It isn't restricted to orthodox Jews. It's a single sex swimming time. So it offers opportunities to various groups, who also pay for the facilities through their council taxes, who would otherwise be excluded by mixed swimming only setups. These could include strictly observant Muslims, radical feminists and others who feel for a variety of reasons that they cannot be in a mixed sex swimming environment. The majority who enjoy mixed sex facilities get those for the great majority of the time they are open.

I think a lot of left wing and militant secularists who were enraged by the government deciding to abandon its proposals for faith schools being forced to accept quotas of pupils from other religions are going to see this as an opportunity for something like revenge. The alacrity with which some Labour cabinet ministers, including Alan Johnson, the Education minister defeated over the quotas, appeared on Radio 4 and proclaimed their fervent opposition to exemptions on adoptions suggests that may already be underway.

Comments

[Miss Carnivorous]

Catholic Charities are the greatest contributor to services for women and children here in America. The left is not interested in that fact. Strangely enough, they just adore Habitat for Humanity. The lefties I talk to seem blissfully unaware that Habitat is areligious orginization.

[BJ]

Hi! I thought you and your readers might be interested in some post-Easter news about Pope Benedict XVI...
The Pope's car is being auctioned off to raise money for Habitat for Humanity:
www.buyacarvideos.com/popecar.htm
The bidding is already more than $200,000! Personally, I think this is a really fun and creative way to raise
money. The auction goes until April 14th if you and your readers want to check it out.