Recently in Equality Category

A lesbian couple on the Isle of Man have called for a change in the law after being refused rental accommodation on the basis of their sexual orientation, reports the BBC.

The couple, Kira Izzard and Laura Cull who live in the capital, Douglas, were refused the opportunity to rent a house on the island by a landlord who felt uncomfortable with their sexual orientation.

The shocked couple were then left further dismayed after learning that the Isle has no laws preventing this kind of archaic sexual orientation discrimination.

The Queen is set to sign a historic Royal Charter today at Marlborough House in London pledging support for gay rights and gender equality. It will be the first such document of its kind produced by the Commonwealth nations setting out a common set of values, reports The Independent.

The Queen will today sign the document hailed as a 'Magna Carta' for the 21^st Century, which sets out the beliefs and shared values for all the Commonwealth nations.

The document, agreed by the Heads of State of all Commonwealth nations last December, will endorse an end to gender discrimination, committing nations to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The document also pledges support for gay rights, the first time the Queen has publically endorsed this cause.

A leading lawyer believes that 37 hospital trusts in England and Wales may be breaking the law by requiring disabled patients and visitors to pay for parking in their car parks, reports the BBC.

Disability rights lawyer Chris Fry believes that there has been a misreading of UK law on equality, contained in the Equality Act 2010.

The Act makes it illegal to treat someone differently on the basis of a 'protected characteristic', which is defined to include age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability status.

A loophole in mental health law has been closed by parliament, after it was revealed that the legal process used to detain more than 5,000 patients in England and Wales was flawed.

Under the Mental Health Act 1983, doctors are entitled to detain patients against their will for the protection of either themselves or others. The legal authority to do this is conferred by sections two and three of the Mental Health Act, leading to the phrase 'sectioning', which literally refers to detaining someone under a section.

The sectioning process requires two doctors and an 'approved mental health practitioner' (AMHP) to agree that the use of legal powers is necessary. Approved mental health practitioners are nurses, social workers, occupational therapists or psychologists approved to carry out functions under the Mental Health Act.

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has warned Conservative backbenchers that he intends to follow through a policy to allow gay marriage.

The policy has come under threat after the Tories' and the Lib Dems' battering at the local elections earlier this month. The poor results have fuelled speculation that David Cameron may attempt to retreat on some of the coalition's more controversial legal reforms, in a bid to appease angry Tory MPs.

However, speaking out in favour of the policy, Mr Clegg has warned his Conservative coalition partners that it will be a case of "how, not whether" gay marriage will be legalised.

Comparison websites, which have multiplied in recent years to bring consumers the benefit of comparing like-for-like products in markets including insurance and mobile phones, have been panned by a new report which shows that they are routinely discriminating against disabled users.

The reports contents, if proven, demonstrate that in many cases the companies may even be breaking the law.

The new report is by AbilityNet, a charity which surveys the web to assess the accessibility of popular websites for disabled users. The charity also helps disabled users to get the most from their online experience.

The new list of barristers who have been promoted to Queen's Counsel was published this week, and it shows that some 58% of women who applied will receive silk.

The figure is slightly lower for men. Although 65 men have been promoted to Queen's Counsel, 174 applied, meaning that only 37% of men were successful.

The latest list was compiled from some 214 applications which were made by senior barristers. The excellent success rate for women is actually down from last year's application process, which saw 66% of women awarded silk.