High Court Judge, Mrs. Justice Laing has ruled that the ban on the “Gay Conversion’ advert on London Buses by the Core Issues Trust was legal.She ruled that it would give grave offence to those who were gay and was perceived as homophobic. The slogan ”Not Gay,Ex-Gay, Post- Gay and Proud’ increased the risk of prejudice and homophobic attack. It would interfere with the rights of gay people to respect and was ‘not a contribution to a reasoned debate’ Under the 2010 Equality Act [introduced in the dying days of the last Labour Government in 2010] Transport For London [TFL] had a duty to eliminate discrimination and harassment against gays and to foster good relations,tackle prejudice and promote understanding. Display of the advert would have been in clear breach of the law.
No clearer statement on the evil effects of the advocacy of gay conversion therapy could have been given It does not work,it exploits those struggling to cope with their sexuality and it fuels prejudice against LGBT people At a time when hate crimes and homophobic crime are endemic it incites more crimes by the false suggestion that sexuality is a matter of choice and can be ‘cured’
We congratulate Mrs. Justice Laing in her ruling. But surely the logical next step must be to ban not only gay conversion adverts but the practice itself.The government should protect vulnerale people fro m the harm ,exploitation and hate fuelling cused by this quackery condemned as it is by every single medical organisation recognised by the NHS
Colin Livett
HIGH COURT REFUSES Core ISSUES TRUST APPEAL
The Claim by Core Issues Trust that London Mayor,Boris Johnson acted improperly in imposing the ban on London buses has today been dismissed by the High Court.Transport For London acted legally in banning the ‘ex-gay’ ban on London buses because of its offensiveness to the LGBT community. CIT have since claimed ‘that the British establishment is no longer a guardian of freedom of speech nor of conscience’Or .put another way, impose their bigoted views on others and treat LGBT people as second class citizens. Director of CIT Trust Mike Davidson has not had his freedom of speech curtailed. But less people are listening to the bigoted nonsense that over the decades has caused so much harm to LGBT people.
Colin Livett 30th July 2014
On 27th January the Court of Appeal,chaired by Lord Dyson made it ruling on the appeal by Core Issues Trust that the ban should be rescinded because ‘due process ‘ had not been gone through by London Mayor<Boris Jonson and that he may have been motivated by political gain.
Lord Dyson criticised the way in which Johnson and TFL reached their decision he also ruled that they were justified in making the ban because the comments were offensive, but that there would need to be a judicial investigation into whether Mr Johnson had acted for 'an improper purpose'
So whats not to like? Core Issues does not overturn the ban and Boris did not follow due process. Colin