February 05, 2020

North Carolina evangelist Franklin Graham said his summer tour of the United Kingdom will go on, even though almost all venues have canceled his scheduled appearances because of his anti-gay views.

Opposition in the cities came from “a small but vocal minority,” Graham said in a statement on the UK website of his Charlotte-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

He said he wasn’t surprised by the opposition. His father, the late Billy Graham, “experienced the very same hostility” before his 1954 London Crusade at various venues, he said, including Harringay Arena and Wembley Stadium.

“When my father first came to Harringay, there was a petition circulated by many churches demanding that he not be allowed in the country,” Graham said in the statement. “Throughout history, the Gospel has consistently faced opposition.”

February 01, 2020

Major British conference venues have cancelled bookings for Franklin Graham’s gospel events because of opposition to his views on homosexuality, but he says he is coming with a message of love.

Glasgow, Sheffield and Liverpool have all dropped the preacher, with some LGBT groups claiming his mainstream Christian stance on issues like same-sex marriage will prompt violence against gay people.

In response, the son of the late Billy Graham said: “I’m not coming to the UK to speak against anybody, I’m coming to speak for everybody.”

January 31, 2020

Part Welsh-Government funded ICC Wales has come under fire over an event featuring a controversial US evangelist.

Franklin Graham, the eldest son of American preacher Billy Graham, has spoken widely of his view that homosexuality is a “sin” and was booked to speak at the International Convention Centre Wales, Newport, in June.

January 30, 2020

Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham’s upcoming tour of the United Kingdom faces being seriously derailed. So much so, Graham felt moved to write an open letter to LGBTQ people opposing his visit to assure them he’s not a hate preacher and claiming “My speech doesn’t hurt anybody.”

The 67-year-old, US-based pastor, son of the late Billy Graham, was due to appear at eight large towns and cities arenas around the UK later this year, kicking off in Glasgow on May, 30.

Related: Pray to keep Chick-fil-A anti-gay, says evangelist Franklin Graham

However, when news of his appearances spread, LGBTQ campaign groups began to raise their voices in protest.

As the controversy around his tour grew, the ACC Liverpool conference center was the first to cancel his appearance. It said Graham’s views were “incompatible” with the venue operator’s own.

In response, Graham took to Facebook earlier this week to publish a “letter to the LGBTQ community in the UK.”

January 30, 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Joe Marusak/The Charlotte Observer) - Evangelist Franklin Graham was banned Wednesday from coming to a second arena in England on his upcoming summer tour of the United Kingdom.

Julie Dore, the council leader in Sheffield, cited Graham’s “repulsive” and “discriminatory” views about the LGBT community for the June cancellation at Sheffield Arena, The Guardian newspaper reported.

In a Jan. 15 letter, members of Sheffield’s LGBT+ community urged the arena’s operator, Sheffield City Trust, to nix Graham’s June 6 appearance.

“Franklin Graham has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs,” according to a copy of the letter posted on Twitter. “...We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to allow this event to go forward.”

David Grey, chairman of the trust, told the BBC the trust supports the “right to free speech and freedom of expression whilst promoting equality and freedom from hatred and abuse.”

Graham already has been banned from appearing in a Liverpool, England, arena on the eight-city UK tour because of his opposition to gay rights, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

December 29, 2019

A forthcoming appearance by a US evangelist in Sheffield has been cancelled after calls by LGBT+ leaders said he promoted homophobic views.

Franklin Graham, the son of preacher Billy Graham, has said he believes gay marriage is a sin.

He was due to speak at Sheffield Arena on 6 June but the venue operator said it did "not endorse" his views.

Mr Graham denied he was preaching hatred or inciting violence and said: "My speech doesn't hurt anybody."

In a statement the authority said his visit had been cancelled after discussions with arena operators Sheffield City Trust.

January 29, 2020

Evangelist Franklin Graham was banned Wednesday from coming to a second arena in England on his upcoming summer tour of the United Kingdom.

Julie Dore, the council leader in Sheffield, cited Graham’s “repulsive” and “discriminatory” views about the LGBT community for the June cancellation at Sheffield Arena, The Guardian newspaper reported.

In a Jan. 15 letter, members of Sheffield’s LGBT+ community urged the arena’s operator, Sheffield City Trust, to nix Graham’s June 6 appearance.

“Franklin Graham has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs,” according to a copy of the letter posted on Twitter. “...We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to allow this event to go forward.”

January 29, 2020

Evangelist Franklin Graham was banned Wednesday from coming to a second arena in England on his upcoming summer tour of the United Kingdom.

Julie Dore, the council leader in Sheffield, cited Graham’s “repulsive” and “discriminatory” views about the LGBT community for the June cancellation at Sheffield Arena, The Guardian newspaper reported.

In a Jan. 15 letter, members of Sheffield’s LGBT+ community urged the arena’s operator, Sheffield City Trust, to nix Graham’s June 6 appearance.

“Franklin Graham has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs,” according to a copy of the letter posted on Twitter. “...We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to allow this event to go forward.”

January 28, 2020

• Franklin Graham's UK tour later this year covers eight towns and cities 

• But the ACC Liverpool conference centre in Liverpool has cancelled his show 

• He hit back with open letter to the LGBTQ UK community saying we're all sinners'

• Mr Graham, 67, previously condemned banning of 'gay conversion therapy' 

An American evangelical preacher has hit back after a venue on his UK tour decided to cancel his show following a string of complaints from the LGBT community. 

Franklin Graham was due to visit Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and London later this year.

But the ACC Liverpool conference centre has decided to cancel the 67-year-old's show after branding his views 'incompatible' with their values. 

Graham, who is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, has previously described gay marriage as a 'sin' and has advocated against bids to ban 'gay conversion therapy'. 

January 29, 2020

An American evangelical preacher has hit back after a venue on his UK tour decided to cancel his show following a string of complaints from the LGBT community.

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Franklin Graham was due to visit Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and London later this year.

But the ACC Liverpool conference centre has decided to cancel the 67-year-old’s show after branding his views ‘incompatible’ with their values.

Graham, who is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, has previously described gay marriage as a ‘sin’ and has advocated against bids to ban ‘gay conversion therapy’.

Members of the LGBT community in several of the cities he was due to visit petitioned venues and local political leaders to stop him from speaking.

But in an open letter to the ‘UK LGBTQ community’, Graham has said ‘we are all sinners’ and denied he was bringing hate speech to Britain.

He wrote on Facebook yesterday: ‘A letter to the LGBTQ community in the UK –

‘It is said by some that I coming to the UK to bring hateful speech to your community. This is just not true.