Equality Act 2010 Explanatory Notes

Effect

55.This section defines the protected characteristic of sexual orientation as being a person’s sexual orientation towards:

  • people of the same sex as him or her (in other words the person is a gay man or a lesbian)

  • people of the opposite sex from him or her (the person is heterosexual)

  • people of both sexes (the person is bisexual).

56.It also explains that references to people sharing a sexual orientation mean that they are of the same sexual orientation.

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