The European Court of Justice has accepted that a British employer breached EU law by denying equal rights to lesbian employees. If a full session of the European Court ratifies the decision, Britain would be compelled to implement dramatic changes to employment, pension and social security law.
Ms Lisa Grant brought the case against South West Trains when her partner, Ms Jill Percey, was denied travel concessions available to other workers' husbands, wives or "common law opposite sex" spouses.
Speaking after the decision yesterday, Ms Percey said: "We are ecstatic. It has been a long 2 1/2 years fighting for equality and we are just over the moon to think we have achieved what we set out to do 2 1/2 years ago."
Representing Ms Grant, Ms Cherie Booth QC, the wife of the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, told the European Court of Justice in July that South West Trains had adopted a policy of sexual stereotyping. South West Trains believed "that a man lives with a female partner, and a woman with a male partner, and not with partners of the same sex".
However, Mr Simon Calvert, from the Christian Institute, condemned the decision. He said people who sought to change the law to validate their own sexual choices inflicted "violence" on the "sensibilities of the British people". He added: "If I choose to engage in disordered sexual activity, then that is my choice. But if I seek to change the law to require other people to validate my sexual activity then I take away other people's choice."