Lustig-Prean and Beckett v United Kingdom (2000) 29 ECHR 548 is a UK labour law and European Convention on Human Rights case on sexual orientation discrimination. The European Court of Human Rights combined judgments for Beckett, Grady, Lustig-Prean and Smith are regarded as pivotal in gay rights throughout the UK and Europe.
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Lustig-Prean and Beckett were British naval personnel who, in separate cases, were dismissed from the Royal Navy after their homosexuality was discovered. Lustig-Prean and Beckett alleged that their dismissal, together with the intrusive nature of the investigations conducted by the Military Police into their sexuality, violated their right to privacy under Article 8 ECHR.
The European Court of Human Rights held [1] that the Article 8 rights of Lustig-Prean and Beckett had been breached. The UK government immediately suspended discharging homosexuals and within months had changed the law. An ECHR judgement applies to all signatory nations of the Convention.