London Mayor Boris Johnson was within his rights to ban conversion-therapy ads from city buses, according to a ruling by a magistrate today.
Justice Beverley Lang ruled that Johnson didn’t abuse his position last April as chairman of Transport for London (TFL) in blocking ads for Core Issues Trust, which claims it can help gay and lesbian Christians “develop their heterosexual potential.”
Lang criticized Johnson’s actions as being “procedurally unfair, in breach of its own procedures and [demonstrating] a failure to consider the relevant issues,” but said the larger issue at stake was the “risk of prejudice and homophobic attacks,” the ads presented.
The proposed posters read, “Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!” which Johnson said was “offensive to gays” and could potentially lead to retaliation against Christians.
Representatives for Core Issues Trust say Johnson’s ban was aimed at garnering votes from LGBT and progressive voters in the May elections: “It was clearly a highly charged issue, and the mayor took credit for the highly politically driven decision,” said Paul Diamond, who claimed his group has only respect “for people struggling with same-sex attraction.”
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Diamond also claimed the proposed ads were a response to gay-positive bus-poster campaign by Stonewall that declared “Some people are gay. Get over it!” (At least one Christian bus driver refused to drive a coach bearing Stonewall’s ad.)
Not everyone in London’s LGBT community think Johnson made the right call, though. “They are offensive, said veteran activist Peter Tachell, “but being offensive is not a legitimate basis for banning anything—In a free society there is no right to not be offended.”
2eo
Good, it’s good to see that our government and local offices are taking a stand against these ridiculous “treatments” like conversion therapy, homoeopathy, hypnotherapy, anti-vaxxers and all the other bullshit that not only doesn’t work, ever but actively poisons society.
Ogre Magi
so many christians so few lions
Billysees
@Ogre Magi: 2
I shouldn’t be giggling at your comment, but I did cause it’s funny…..lol.
2eo
@Ogre Magi: @Billysees:
Actually, new evidence proves christians were not only NOT thrown to the lions, they also experienced next to NO persecution at all.
http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_myth_of_persecution_early_christians_werent_persecuted/singleton/
It’s a MYTH perpetuated by christians to hate on other people using the “we were hated in the past” card.
Billysees
@2eo: 4
The book review about the persecution of the early Christians was interesting.
As for my knowledge and concern about this subject matter, it really isn’t important to me. It’s hard to know what is the real truth here. Anyone who has an observation to make about this subject sounds convincing.
But merely out of respect for anyone who thinks there was some persecution, I’d rather not make light of it myself.