Letter to The Editor - ‘Discrimination between’ is a good thing, frequently requiring subtlety of approach and vital for the wellbeing of society

To THE AGE          Perhaps not surprisingly, as she represents a rationalist group, Tosca Lloyd appears to be unduly unsympathetic to the interests of religious people and thus unfair to them in considering laws against unjust discrimination (8/1). In some contexts what she sees as ‘discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation’ may be justified defence of the right of religious people to practise their faith without being forced to dishonour their conscience.

     One wonders on what basis, having dispensed with divine authority, Lloyd can claim that there is something called ‘human dignity’, possessed by all, which is to be protected. Another problem is that zealots opposed to ‘discrimination against’ too often forget that ‘discrimination between’ is a good thing, frequently requiring subtlety of approach and vital for the wellbeing of society.
  NJ, Belgrave, Vic