Freedom of Conscience and Equal Treatment in an Era of Rapid Social Change

This article assesses religious claims to exemptions from anti-dsicrimination laws in the context of the rapid change in social norms in relation to sexual orientation and the steady expansion in legal enforcement of non-discrimination law in recent decades. It focuses particularly on the complex relationship of many religious groups to the promotion of anti-discrimination norms and recent litigation in the UK and Europe on this issue. It analyses the reasonableness of the claims made in these cases and the likelihood of success for the applicants before the Strasbourg Court