Trump-supporting evangelical preacher Franklin Graham is voicing his discontent now that at least one venue in the UK has canceled an appearance he was scheduled to make in June. The conference venue ACC Liverpool canceled the event because Graham has made a number of comments that event organizers say are “incompatible with our values.”
ACC Liverpool canceled Graham after being made aware of his history of anti-LGBT rhetoric.
Now a spokesman for another popular London venue, the O2, told Newsweek on Tuesday that Graham has indicated he’d like to appear there, but said he never will.
That decision was fueled by a petition that called upon the O2 to refuse to host Graham. The petition has received at least 8,200 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
And Graham is not happy.
“Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world — He came to save it,” Graham reportedly said. “The Gospel is timeless, and Bible-believing Christians in the UK have proclaimed it for centuries.”
“We feel that we are being discriminated against because of our religious beliefs,” he said. “Canceling venue contracts based on the demands of one very vocal group, without consideration for the views and rights of the Christians who contracted for the venue, including the views of thousands of other Christians who support it and who would be negatively impacted, does far more to harm and divide society than simply letting the events go on as planned.”
“It is wrong for venue managers and local officials to make a decision that disadvantages Christians,” he added.
Graham then accused “some LGBTQ activists” of continuing a “pattern of harassment and bullying of evangelicals in general,” apparently referring to prevalent opposition to anti-LGBTQ views he and other evangelists have voiced.”
Franklin has most notoriously said that teaching LGBTQ history is an “affront to God,” and has claimed “parents should keep their kids home,” if public schools are teaching this.
Featured image via screen grab/YouTube
