THE HAGUE, 16/04/08 - Marriage registrars who refuse to perform same-sex marriages must also be denied from performing marriages between men and women, the Equal Treatment Commission (CGB) ruled yesterday.

In October 2007, the municipality of Langedijk placed an ad for two marriage registrars. The municipality demanded that applicants be prepared to conduct both heterosexual and same-sex marriages.

The CGB judged yesterday that municipalities may indeed make this requirement. A local authority is "not violating the equal treatment law if it refuses to appoint a marriage registrar who does not wish to marry persons of the same sex on grounds of religion".

CGB simultaneously released a new guideline. This instructs municipalities and other interested parties how to act in similar cases.

The CGB is an advisory court. Its rulings can be used in real court cases. The courts usually uphold CGB verdicts.

Christian government party ChristenUnie declared it was disappointed about this "unnecessarily harsh approach", according to MP Anker. "This ruling does not help us further in the search for a careful balance between groups in society with differing beliefs" about gay marriage.

ChristenUnie will request the cabinet for a response on the statement. The Christian democrats (CDA) also indicated they were unhappy with the verdict.

CGB also passed judgement yesterday on a case concerning the personnel policy of feminist magazine Opzij. The magazine may not exclude men from editorial positions, according to CGB. By exclusively reserving the position of editor for women, Opzij is making a forbidden distinction on grounds of gender.