Gay UK MP claims hymn discriminates against Gays

 

In the UK openly gay Labour party MP Chris Bryant has argued that straight people are discriminated against because they can't sing the hymn Jerusalem at wedding ceremonies.
The MP said the song was being unfairly reserved for gays because many churches banned it for not [being] "addressed to God", while civil ceremonies also banned it for being religious.

One of the few openly-gay MP’s  Bryant called for a Commons debate on the matter, telling MPs: "If you're a heterosexual couple and you get married in church many clergy will refuse to allow it to be sung because it's not a hymn addressed to God.

"If you get married as a straight couple in a civil wedding you're point blank not allowed it because it's a religious song.  

"If, however, you're a gay couple and you have a civil partnership, under the government plans you will be allowed to sing Jerusalem. So can we just make sure that Jerusalem is not just reserved for homosexuals."

His comments were greeted with laughter,

Under current legislation, no civil unions can take place on religious premises, whether they are same or opposite sex. However, a government proposal could see gay couples afforded the choice of having their ceremony in a religious venue.    According to a  Home Office spokeswoman claims there were no plans to change the law to allow heterosexual couples to do the same because they already had the choice about whether to get married in a religious venue or not.   "Our proposals make clear the civil partnership registration would remain secular and distinct from any religious service," she told the BBC,  "The rules of what is contained in a secular or religious ceremony are no different for same-sex or-opposite sex couples."

We contacted six churches in the Brighton area on England’s south coast and all six advised that they would allow the hymn at weddings.  

“I do wonder about Mr Bryant’s priorities campaigning about a hymn which may or may not be allowed at some churches or at explicitly non religious ceremonies” Questioned gay rights commentator and advisor Jason Shaw.