Cabinet rejected former Culture Minister Dale Butler’s proposal to ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, Culture Minister Neletha Butterfield revealed today.

Ms Butterfield told a Throne Speech press conference this morning that the inclusion of sexual orientation as a protected ground under the Human Rights Act is “still being actively investigated” — unlike other grounds such as age, disability and gender, which are being incorporated into law.

In April, her predecessor Mr. Butler had pledged that the long-awaited amendment to ensure equal rights for all, whether gay, straight or bisexual, would go before Parliament this autumn.

Today, Ms Butterfield told the media Mr. Butler had taken the issue to Cabinet earlier this year, but that it had been turned down. She said she did not know whether individual Cabinet members had been against the move, but only that the collective decision had been to reject it.

Friday's Throne Speech had said: "The intention of the Human Rights Act to prevent discrimination against all classes of people must be fulfilled. Therefore the Act will be amended to ensure that no person is discriminated against in Bermuda."

For the full story, see tomorrow’s Royal Gazette.