Equality Act 2010

The Equality Act 2010 replaced various previous Acts of Parliament (including the Equality Act 2006) and outlaws discrimination on any of the following "protected characteristics":

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

Amongst other things, the Act removes the statutory ban on conducting civil partnerships on religious premises (Section 202). This provision came into force in England and Wales on 5 December 2011, following a Government consultation. Implementing this provision in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved authorities.

A 2021 employment tribunal appeal established that Gender critical beliefs — such as the view that sex is fixed and should not be conflated with gender identity — qualify as a protected philosophical belief under the "religion or belief" characteristic in the Equality Act 2010.

External links

• Equality Act 2010, full text – legislation.gov.uk