Johannesburg – Farm owners in Paarl, Western Cape, who allegedly refused a gay couple permission to get married on their land, could face legal action, according to a report on Saturday.
“It’s my life, it’s my cause, and what they did is illegal.” Mr O’Brien
The Saturday Star reported the gay couple Emile Butler and Gareth O’Brien were considering taking the matter to the Equality Court.
The couple had planned to get married at the Diemerskraal wine estate outside Cape Town but were turned down by owners Daan and Jeanette Morkel.
It was alleged the owners could not “find it in their hearts” to allow a gay couple to get married on their property, the newspaper reported.
Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos said the owners’ right to reserve admission was not an absolute right.
The Equality Act requires that “no person may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds”.
These include grounds of “race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth”.
The Human Rights Commission had notified the Morkel’s about the complaint.
Daan Morkel confirmed to the newspaper that they were contacted by the commission.
– SAPA
This is where I draw the line, where is our freedom of choice ?
GAY PEOPLE have freedom of choice and I grant them that, as it is their lives and the lifestyles they choose. What I can and never will agree on is that they and with the backing of most world governments, force people who do not feel comfortable with the choice they have made, to embrace their lifestyle. If the people in this article feel it is against their religion or if they do not feel comfortable inviting them to their home or place of residence then they have a right to refuse. So now Mr Emile Butler and Mr Gareth O’Brien are going to bring down the wrath of whoever they believe in on this poor couple who dared to refuse them the right to get married on their property. There is only one kind of discrimination that is to be seen here and that is against the wine estate owners Mr and Mrs Morkel. I hope that they will have the strength to stand against this as I believe they do have the right to refuse, no matter what the law says , just as Gay people have the choice of “Free Will” so the “Morkels” should too.
If Mr and Mr Butler or O’Brien are good people they will drop all charges they are going to make against the Morkels, and find another venue for their wedding, if they don’t then I can only assume that they hate people who do not agree with them, and I quote Mr Obrien, “It’s my life, it’s my cause, and what they did is illegal.” If it’s a cause and not a wedding the Morkels are going to suffer and be crucified.
For me it is very simple if GAY people want to live in peace and harmony with straight people then they have to also respect straight peoples rights. We all live on this one Earth if we have to accept or should I say be forced to accept GAY peoples rights then GAY people should accept our rights too.
FAIR IS FAIR or does that not apply to all ?
On the funny side: Maybe Obama will give them a call in support.
On the sad side: Maybe they are in this to make money and not for ever after and all that.
On the tragic side: The lives of the Morkels will be ruined
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