That’s How Business Works

Or, at least, it is supposed to. If Danny Toner gets his way, business folk will be forced to do business with potential clients that they would rather not have.

An editor is seeking legal advice after a printing firm refused to publish his magazine as it is aimed at the gay market.

Danny Toner, the founder and editor of MyGayZine, an online magazine for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Northern Ireland, was hoping to produce the first print edition in June, to coincide with Belfast Pride.

But after approaching a local printer for a quote he was “hurt and embarrassed” to receive an email refusing to work with the magazine because of its readership.

“There are some types of work I do not feel comfortable taking on and this is definitely one them,” wrote printer Nick Williamson from Blufire Media in County Armagh, who had advertised his services on Gumtree.

“To work alongside (even printing for) the LGBT [community] would be in contradiction to my own faith and so I will have to let this quote slide.”

The proper response to that would be to take one’s money and future business elsewhere. It’s what I have done in the past. And, as a self-employed consultant, I have refused work and will again. Usually this is because I know that I am unlikely to get paid, not because they are gayers –  I have no interest in their sexual proclivities, but getting paid is pretty important to me.

Toner, though, isn’t content with the pragmatic and common sense approach, no, he wants the the weight of the law brought to bear.

Why? How could anybody refuse a service just for that one reason? It was embarrassing too – it’s shaming.

Ah, diddums. Did the naughty man upset your poor little sensitive feelings and you have to run away and tell on him?

Actually, they don’t need a reason. “Because I don’t want to” is plenty good enough. It’s called freedom of association. Of course, in doing so, the business concerned is taking a risk that it will backfire and they lose more business as a consequence. But it is their risk to take.

Refusing to offer goods or services on the grounds of sexual orientation contravenes the Equality Act 2010, the same legislation used last year to successfully sue Susanne Wilkinson, the owner of a bed and breakfast, who refused a room to gay couple Michael Black and John Morgan.

And a particularly egregious piece of legislation it is, too. But Toner is going to use it:

Toner has forwarded the emails to the Equality Commission in Northern Ireland and has approached a solicitor who specialises in LGBT rights.

“If we can take the printer to court, we will,” he said. “Part of the reason we started this magazine in the first place was in order to fight homophobia and to bring it to people’s attention. Things have improved for gay people in Northern Ireland in the last five or six years but there’s still a long way to go.”

And to hell with freedom of association which is rather more important than his hurt feelings.