Owner of B&B to change anti-gay website
U-turn over heterosexual-friendly claims in guest house publicity
A HIGHLAND bed and breakfast owner who has banned gays from his premises has agreed to amend a controversial website which promotes the fact he only welcomes heterosexuals.
Tom Forrest, who has previously stated he would “rather go to jail than be forced by Scots law to take gay couples” made the change after being taken to the civil court in Inverness by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday heard the Equality Commission was seeking an interim interdict to force the 70-year-old proprietor to remove comments and images from the website promoting his Cromasaig B&B in Kinlochewe.
The Commission’s concerns related to the use of the term “heterosexual friendly” and the statement (in pictorial terms) “man + woman = marriage”.
The case was adjourned until March 20 to allow Mr Forrest to properly instruct his legal representative.
It is understood that Mr Forrest only hired a lawyer, Murray McCheyne, to represent him shortly before the hearing.
In the meantime, a Commission spokeswoman confirmed that Mr Forrest had agreed to remove the contentious wording on his website temporarily while the legal battle progresses.
But Mr Forrest claims he will not give up in his fight to keep his establishment “family and heterosexual friendly.”
Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood yesterday continued consideration of the Commission’s application.
Neither Mr Forrest, Mr McCheyne or the Commission’s lawyer, Dorothy Bain, would comment after the hearing.
But an Equality Commission spokeswoman said: ‘We are pleased that Cromasaig Bed and Breakfast has agreed to remove these phrases from their website, until such time as the court makes an order in relation to the matter.
“The Commission had received complaints which led to us having concerns that the phrases, in the context they were used, may be discriminatory.
“We asked Cromasaig to remove them but they were not willing to do so and so we took this legal action. We now await the court’s decision after a full hearing in due course.
“This action is only about those references and, of course, Mr Forrest has to comply with the equality act.”
Mr Forrest’s stance has been a controversial one for more than 13 years after he refused a gay couple a double room because of their “perversion”.
Mr Forrest said the “two gents”, Stephen Nock and his partner, from London, could only book a twin room. Mr Nock, 34, and his long-term partner were told they could not stay in a double room in the guest house because their relationship was “unnatural”.
The couple were hoping to stay at the guest house during a four-day walking holiday in the Highlands.
Mr Forrest offered to book the men into a twin room.
When Mr Nock threatened via e-mail to complain to the tourist authorities, Mr Forrest informed him: “We do not have a problem with your personal sexual deviation, that is up to you.
“You are welcome to our twin room if you wish, but we will not condone your perversion.”
Scotland’s tourist authority, VisitScotland, then removed the Cromasaig guest house from its records in the wake of the high-profile row.
But Mr Forrest has reaffirmed a declaration he made six years ago that he was prepared to go to jail than be forced by Scots law to accept gay couples at Cromasaig B&B.
Kevin Crowe, a spokesman for the Highland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum, previously declined to comment on Mr Forrest’s situation.
But, in relation to equality legislation, he said: “Every business is now aware that they cannot discriminate against people.
“A lot of bed and breakfast owners, of course, work from home and some have claimed that because it’s their home they should be exempt.
“My view is that if their home is a workplace they should be covered by the same rules as every other workplace – that includes health and safety legislation and equality legislation.”