"In a car factory, who fits the best tyres? Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals or heterosexuals?" asks a dti advert aimed at publicising the new discrimination laws. The answer, of course, is in the picture of four identically fitted tyres. The message: judge on merit, not sexual orientation.

The new law prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation comes into force on 1 December 2003. Short leaflets about the new legislation are now available on the dti website: www.dti.gov.uk. Much more detailed, practical, guidance is available from ACAS: www.acas.org.uk. The ACAS guidance is a mixture of advice on the law and good practice.

The dti leaflets say the government is introducing the new rights because it recognises that unfair discrimination has a damaging impact on people's lives and because it believes that businesses will prosper if they harness the talents of all their employees. The government was also required to bring in the new legislation on sexual orientation discrimination and that on religion or belief discrimination, which comes into force on 2 December 2003, to comply with requirements of the EU Employment Framework Directive. This Directive will also require the introduction of age discrimination legislation by the end of 2006.