NGK must apologise to gay man
2008-08-28 13:11
Pretoria - A Pretoria High Court judge has ordered the NG Kerk Moreletapark to unconditionally apologise to a music teacher it fired because he is in a gay relationship.
Judge Dion Basson found that the congregation had unfairly discriminated against Johan Strydom when they fired him from their arts academy in 2005.
He said the constitutionally-protected right to equality outweighed the church's right to religious freedom.
The judge ordered the church to pay Strydom almost R87 000 for the impairment of his dignity, emotional and psychological suffering and loss of earnings.
- SAPA