03/05/2022
Humanists UK is the umbrella group for people of no faith in the UK, who advocate a scientific approach to issues of life and death and who are rationalist and sceptical with regard to the meaning of existance. Humanists UK incorporates the old Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association and the Humanist movement has a long tradition of supporting LGBTQIA civil rights, even when such tolerance flew in the face of the political establishment. Now, Humanists UK says that the non-religious need the solidarity of the LGBTQIA community and all their supporters. They say the Human Rights Act means that public bodies and courts can ‘read additional words’ into laws if it’s necessary to make those laws human rights-compliant. Where the law refers to religion, for example, this can be understood to include non-religious people and humanist beliefs too. The UK Government wants to take this away, which they say is “alarming, considering humanists have successfully used it to reform religious education in England and Wales, and to gain legally recognised humanist marriages in Scotland and Northern Ireland”. To lobby your MP to continue to have non religion a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, visit humanists.uk.
