A slight confusion over human rights

Human rights are an idea - a jolly good idea I hope you agree. In the UK we are under the European convention, as below.

Your human rights, if you are privileged to live in the UK are theroretically:

The right to life
Freedom from torture and degrading treatment
Freedom from slavery and forced labour
The right to liberty
The right to a fair trial
The right not to be punished for something that wasn't a crime when you did it
The right to respect for private and family life
Freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to express your beliefs
Freedom of expression
Freedom of assembly and association
The right to marry and to start a family
The right not to be discriminated against in respect of these rights and freedoms
The right to peaceful enjoyment of your property
The right to an education
The right to participate in free elections
The right not to be subjected to the death penalty

Lately, there's been a lot of press about Christians feeling they are discriminated against. In particular being made to do their job for people they object to on homophobic grounds, because they feel they cannot collude with gay people having families and relationships. But article 9 (Freedom of thought, conscience and religion) is actually more complicated, as below.

Article 9: Freedom of conscience

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

(2) Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

What that means is that yes, if you take a job where you have to treat all people equally including gay people, then yes, you have to treat all people equally on account of gay people actually being people. And no, it is not a right to deny other people their law-given rights.

In my job I have to give help to people who sometimes turn out to be misogynists, women-who-hate-other-women, racists, sex offenders, people who treat their children, loved-ones and pets poorly, or people who eat shitloads of factory farmed meat. And no, I do not consider it my right to not give help to these people if they need it and it's professionally my role, whatever my beliefs. This is a core value. It's what puts the profession into professional.

I admit I am fairly irreverant and critical of Christianity, not because I see it as a soft option, but because it's the religious context I have lived experience of escaping. And perhaps that's something I would benefit from addressing. But I would fear for a world where irreverance and criticism of religion is outlawed. Because if you look internationally and historically for examples of places where that has been the case, it usually comes at the expense of many of the rights up on that list.

The irreligious - we have beliefs. We're often quite shouty about them. But generally the more Humanist of us will be sticking up for the rights of Christians, or Muslims or Jews or any other people where we see their human rights being eroded. If people want to use prayer spaces at work, and make a plan such that they still work their hours, I really don't care, so long as if I wanted to start up a 70s throwback feminist consciousness raising group I can do that too, (although I doubt we'll be getting out the hand mirrors for hygiene reasons). If it doesn't cause a health and safety problem and people wear a hijab or a turban or a crucifix or a pentagram, then it's up to them to deal with the effects of difference it may cause people to perceive on first meeting them. I dye my hair ginger and until recently had a facial piercing and am also a fat person, and no doubt that has some effects on engagement too.