Protect gays and single parents, say mothers

The article states: "Religious institutions controlled or run by a body established for religious purposes may discriminate on the basis of any “protected characteristic” when employing people, provided that discrimination is necessary to conform to religious beliefs or sensitivities." But isn't this what religion is all about? A set of beliefs in accordance to the will of the Supreme Being? The very notion of a "Supreme Being" strikes me, as a devout atheist, as being archaic in itself. It puzzles me why people with so-called "progressive" lifestyles, then, attempt to conform to rigidly old-fashioned religious values. It's like punching a square peg into a round hole. Religion is not a salad, you cannot pick and choose what you want from the menu and leave the rest. Yes, many religions practice what one may term as outdated beliefs, but again, such is the nature of many of the world's religions. I wonder what will happen if, say, an indoor swimming pool is opened exclusively for women, in order to appease the Islamic community, and Islamic women start to complain about lesbian couples attending the facility. I wonder what will happen when Islamic women start demanding not only male-free swimmng pools, but also lesbian-free pools. Then, what side will Green Left Weekly assume? Will GLW speak out in favour of the Islamic women, at the risk of being called homophobic and discriminatory? Or will GLW side with the "gay community" and denounce the Islamic religion as being "homophobic" and "out of touch with modern society"...thus inviting accusations of Islamophobia? You can't have it both ways, GLW.