They discuss homosexuality, and that it is not appropriate to discriminate against homosexuals - then the atheist guests go on to argue that whereas discrimination against homosexuality is not okay, discrimination against Christians is:
Atheist: "Christianity is a choice. That's the thing. But when there's not a choice... "
Christian: "So, you're entitled to discriminate people [Christians] if they make a choice?"
Atheist: "Yes. That's their choice isn't it?"
Christian: "How did you come up with that one?"
Atheist: "Because that's a decision they've made at some point, that they are going to believe a certain set of things."
Christian: "So if someone has a sex change operation then I can discriminate against them?
Atheist: "No. I mean... We count sex as something that can't be changed. But a belief which is held, can be - should be - discriminated against.
Ariane Sherine agrees with this point. Specifically, at 1:12:26 on my player, she says
I would go back to Adrian's point that it is a choice, in a way that race, sexuality and gender are not.
People are born without belief in a god (atheist). Their parents brainwash them into believing in whatever God they believe in, and if the child does not believe in that deity, the child is bad, and damned, and the parents feel like a failure. While brainwashing a child is not the child's choice, they do have the choice later in life to accept or reject their parents teachings.
I am a woman. I am attracted to other women. I have always been attracted to other women (at as early as 7 or 8, I remember liking girls). I made no choice to be attracted to women, just as straight people have made no choice to be attracted to the opposite sex. If you really believe sexuality is a choice, then try to be aroused at just the sight of a penis. (I am assuming you are a man, you don't have your gender listed).
As for gender identity, that also is not a choice. If not brainwashed into stereotypes at a very young age (and sometimes even if they are) you see young children reject their gender sometimes. I see frantic parents posting on the web that their son likes to put on mommy's makeup and shoes, and what should they do to force their son to be a man. I have friends who are transgender. They have felt their entire life that they were in the wrong body for their gender. Once again, it is not a choice for them.
Think about it. Why would someone chose to live their life discriminated against for no good reason? If gay people could just "change" and love all women, then why wouldn't they? Why be driven to suicide in some cases? Same thing with transgender people. Imagine living your whole life feeling so out of place, and then when you finally decide to do something about it (come out as transgender) all people care about is what your genitals look like. It doesn't matter if you don't have the money for surgery, to many people you are not that gender till your genitals match.
Yes, in some parts of the world, Christians are just as persecuted. But, unlike gays and transgender people, they were not born a Christian. Actually, they had to be "born again" because they were born atheists originally. There are Christians who stand this persecution- but because they were brainwashed in 99% of the cases.
I know this because: I'm "gay" and I didn't chose to be that way. I was brainwashed to be a Christian, and when I couldn't deny my attraction to women any longer, I was told to either shove it down or get out. I left the church, but even then, the brainwashing made me go back time and time again... just to be shoved away again. I prayed to God to show me some sign He existed, to relieve me of my burden, etc. Funny thing is, even after I got with a man (totally different story... we don't have sex), it wasn't good enough for the church because he was not a believer, and tried to break us up. Finally, after years of abuse, brainwashing, and no evidence for any god, I went through the hard path and deconverted. Not believing is a *choice* I made. I did not choose to be attracted to women. There is a huge difference between the two- one is a choice, and one is not.
So, just like many people on this site abandoned their religion and chose to become atheist because of the evidence, so believing in religions is a choice. Every child goes through a phase where they choose their path- to do the things their parents say, or to not. This is how a child becomes an adult- if a child doesn't go through the experimentation phase, they are developmentally stunted.