Tuesday, March 05, 2013



Unlawful discrimination

Surprise, surprise - another group of Christians caught behaving like bigots:

Singer Anika Moa has had to switch venues for her Wairarapa concert because an evangelical church objected to her sexuality.

She was due to perform at Masterton's Lighthouse Church on March 23, but promoter Mark Rogers said it became clear after the booking was made that some members of the church were not comfortable with hosting her.

Moa came out as a lesbian in 2007 and has been in a civil union with Australian burlesque dancer Azaria Universe since 2010.

Mr Rogers said the church was suffering from "sapphic paranoia" and was "unhappy" with what it called Moa's "lifestyle".

"It's not as though, by ‘life-style', the church meant she went skiing every weekend," he said. "I just couldn't face having a concert in a location where one of the performers was not welcome."


They voluntarily withdrew rather than be forced out, in exactly the same way that people who are constructively dismissed "voluntarily" quit rather than being sacked. But I don't think that makes a difference. Lighthouse church was clearly discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in its provision of goods, services, and facilities - and that is simply illegal.