I hope this isn't one of you -

[d000hg]

34 year old man, crying to his mum... Way to reinforce stereotypes.

I really don't understand why anyone wouldn't sell their house to anyone. Would I sell my house to a recruitment agent, someone out on license due to murder? Yes I would. Why not?

(And I wouldn't care less about the buyers' sexuality, politics, gender, religion... or even if they were freckled).

I could think of 3 logicially self-consistent scenarios to one's bias:

1. You simply don't want to have any interaction - even at arm's length - with someone because you believe it might make you 'unclean' or because your beliefs tell you you shouldn't. Jews/Samaritans for instance.
2. You hold views which tell you that person is unlikely to be trustworthy e.g. you hold racist views that Russians are dodgy, or the person comes across as a geezer and you would rather sell to someone more straightforward.
3. You simply have an emotional attachment to your house and it pains you to think of someone coming in despoiling your years of work, when they walk around "ooh we could knock all this down". Financially that makes no sense but sentimentality is hardly uncommon.

[vwdan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YM9Ereg2Zo

Maybe there's just some misunderstanding

[ladymuck]

34 year old man, crying to his mum... Way to reinforce stereotypes.

I really don't understand why anyone wouldn't sell their house to anyone. Would I sell my house to a recruitment agent, someone out on license due to murder? Yes I would. Why not?

(And I wouldn't care less about the buyers' sexuality, politics, gender, religion... or even if they were freckled).

Darn it! I didn't need that shell company after all

[NotAllThere]

I'm surprised the bible (and similar fairy-tale books) is still legal to sell as it is homophobic literature

You're surprised fairy tale books are still legal to sell? Weird.

[NotAllThere]

Whitehouse, 34, told the press: “Initially, for the first 10 seconds, I laughed. I thought it was a joke.

“But then I was upset and angry and I had a cry on the phone to my mum.

34 year old man, crying to his mum... Way to reinforce stereotypes.

I really don't understand why anyone wouldn't sell their house to anyone. Would I sell my house to a recruitment agent, someone out on license due to murder? Yes I would. Why not?

(And I wouldn't care less about the buyers' sexuality, politics, gender, religion... or even if they were freckled).

[Paddy]

“... I did not see it coming. I was blindsided by it.”

.”

Quote from "Sex and the City" "They normally give me a warning when that happens"

[northernladuk]

True, but in divulging the reason for declining the sale the sellers went beyond that into the realm of making a public statement, and a disciminatory one. So the sale aspect then became almost irrelevant.

In other words, they could equally well have just publicly declared "I refuse to have any dealings with {insert_minority_group_name_here}, as I don't approve of them full stop".

Not really. The devil is really in the details here and IMO it makes a huge difference.

One end is someone that is protecting their religious beliefs. It's documented, been taught, been part of culture. However out of date it is it's a tangible reason and in most cases should be considered and protected.
Mid range and debatable is disciminating for a reason. For example, when selling stuff on FB market place a group of people will offer you 50% the value of something everytime, and even if you do get to a deal it becomes another barter on the doorstep if they even turn up at all. It's near on 100% of the time. So you just don't deal with them. Is that discrimantory or is it a good reason based on what happens. It's not all of them but it's easy to spot the demographics that this is going to happen. Another is taking on DSS for a rent. The risk of trouble is very high so you don't want to deal with it. Is that discrimation. It's very arguable and a difficult area.
The other end is refusing to deal with someone becuase you don't approve. That's dangerous territory and something that should be removed if possible. No need for this in a vast majority of cases.

It's a proper bear pit when it comes to saying no to people but in some cases it maybe justified, in others is downright wrong.

And I don't think the sale is irrelevant. It's absolutely key. I'm sure they don't make gay couples an issue in their life, just like the cake makers don't care but when it's brought to your door and is a decision point it becomes relevant and when the media step in and ask why you've little choice to divulge it.

[ladymuck]

True, but in divulging the reason for declining the sale the sellers went beyond that into the realm of making a public statement, and a disciminatory one. So the sale aspect then became almost irrelevant.

In other words, they could equally well have just publicly declared "I refuse to have any dealings with {insert_minority_group_name_here}, as I don't approve of them full stop".

Fortunately cretinism isn't a protected characteristic so we're all safe to hate each other here

[OwlHoot]

I'll doubtless get shot down for this by the bedwetters on here but...

Surely it's entirely up to the house owner who they sell their house to, regardless whether the potential buyer is gay, green with orange spots, a horned dwarf alien from the planet Zarg or a property developer?

The world's gone soft.

True, but in divulging the reason for declining the sale the sellers went beyond that into the realm of making a public statement, and a disciminatory one. So the sale aspect then became almost irrelevant.

In other words, they could equally well have just publicly declared "I refuse to have any dealings with {insert_minority_group_name_here}, as I don't approve of them full stop".

[northernladuk]

So you're saying it's OK for an agent to discriminate who they take as customers based on protected characteristics?

It's just the same as the people not doing business with the gay couple. They are quite within their rights to not take customers on that don't match the values of their company.