Gay Clergy Considers Suing The Church of England

Dr Jeffery John, the Church of England’s most senior openly gay cleric is considering legal action against the church for discrimination unless he his made a bishop.
John, the dean of St Albans, was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading in 2003, by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, following objections from conservative evangelicals.
Then in 2010, Dr John was a candidate for Bishop of Southwark but a leaked memo written by the late Dean of Southwark Colin Slee, claimed Williams was one of those who tried to ‘wreck’ Dr John’s chances.
The celibate priest is in a long standing civil partnership with another cleric and has become so frustrated with his treatment that he has hired an employment and discrimination law specialist to fight his case under equality law.
Church lawyers published new guidelines last summer in line with the Equality act, which said candidates cannot be blocked from senior church posts because they are gay as long as they do not have sex.

by Stacey Cosens in pinkpaper.com/