The last weekend of May was a rollercoaster for supporters of lesbian and gay equality in the Church of Scotland. Late on the Saturday night, the Kirk’s General Assembly voted to uphold the choice of an Aberdeen church that an out gay man, Scott Rennie, should be their new Minister. But less than 48 hours later, the ordination of any further out lesbian and gay people was put on hold for two years.

Random treatment by religious bodies is nothing new for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. On the one hand, Stonewall’s research – ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ published last year, and a new report on the workplace coming soon – shows that many people of faith – Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu – are accepting of the gay people they live and work with, and are not well-served by some more strident leaders who claim to speak in their name. And of course, many lesbian and gay people are themselves religious believers, balancing the unchosen fact of their sexual orientation with their faith.

On the other hand, it’s a sad fact that much of the organised opposition to gay equality comes from churches and from organisations purporting to represent Christianity. At the individual level too, as in the world of work, inequality bites hard.

Take the case of John Reaney. John was unanimously chosen by a panel of eight to be a youth worker in the Church of England Diocese of Hereford. But the Bishop of Hereford unilaterally stepped in and blocked his appointment, citing a belief that John wouldn’t choose to be celibate. In this case an Employment Tribunal rightly found the Bishop guilty of discrimination, but John never did get to take up that job. This and other examples tell us that the law relating to religious exemptions for employment needs to be clarified.

Stonewall reluctantly accepts that where a post is intrinsic to religious doctrine – for example, the priest officiating at mass – the law should step back. After all, if you don’t believe women are capable of a role then equality is already out of the window. But we don’t accept that religious organisations in a free society should be able to discriminate across all of their jobs. We have seen adverts for accounts assistants advertised as exempt under the relevant regulations. This won’t do.

So we are pleased that the Equality Bill currently before parliament restates the exemptions in a way that is consistent with the original intentions of parliament and ministers, reducing the scope for misuse. This isn’t about interfering with religious freedom – people are free to hold their religious beliefs, and to express those views in temperate terms. What you shouldn’t be able to do is treat human beings differently just because of who they are. The great world faiths are fond of the words ‘love’ and ‘compassion’. Their lesbian and gay followers expect no less.