Breaking UK News: Three men convicted of distributing anti-gay leaflets

Wayne Besen January 20, 2012

Three men were convicted Friday of distributing anti-gay leaflets, and prosecutors called it a landmark case regarding the prosecution of hate crimes regarding sexual orientation. A jury found the men to have distributed leaflets calling for homosexuals to face the death penalty. Two others were acquitted of the same charge.

“Everyone has a right to be protected by the law and we regard homophobic crimes, along with all hate crimes, as particularly serious because they undermine people’s right to feel safe,” said Sue Hemming, chief of the Crown Prosecution Service special crime division.

She said in a statement that the leaflet showed a mannequin hanging from a noose and said gay people were destined to go to hell.

About the Author

Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

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5 Comments

Gary (NJ) January 20, 2012 at 5:31 pm -

We’re so backwards still, compared to Canada and the UK.
Jessica January 20, 2012 at 5:53 pm -

I wonder what the right-wing religious types in the States are thinking today, when a lot of them believe Europe (including the UK) are under the influence of gay loving Muslims thanks to the left?
Nick K. January 20, 2012 at 6:20 pm -

I am of two minds on this entire situation. I think what the men did was morally repugnant and absolutely disgusting. I have no sympathy for the three that were convicted and no feelings of relief for the ones acquitted.

However, I am not sure about this law in general. I am not British so I do not know what the culture attitude towards free speech is. As an American, born and raised, I think this law clearly violates any and all notions of what I have been raised to believe free speech is. I may loathe and despise what someone may say (eg. Fred Phelps clan), but I believe in their right to say it.

I am further concerned for the precident these convictions set. What if LGBT rights activists pass out pamphelts calling on Muslims to be loving and accepting towards the LGBT community even going so far as to quote from the Quran and the Hadiths. Could it be argued that this is also “hate” speech? A law like this could be used to cut both ways here.
RainbowPhoenix January 20, 2012 at 11:29 pm -

Nick were you even paying attention to the story? First of all, Britain doesn’t have an equivalent of the first amendment. Second of all, they were saying people should be killed. They were harassing and terrorizing people in their homes. No rational person could possibly see that as encouraging someone to be more tolerant of other people.
Priya Lynn January 21, 2012 at 10:12 am -

Nick said “I am further concerned for the precident these convictions set. What if LGBT rights activists pass out pamphelts calling on Muslims to be loving and accepting towards the LGBT community even going so far as to quote from the Quran and the Hadiths. Could it be argued that this is also “hate” speech? A law like this could be used to cut both ways here.”.

No it couldn’t. The people convicted were distributing pamphlets that called for gays to be put to death which is the specific sort of thing hate speech laws criminalize. The LGBT activists in the scenario you quote are not asking for Muslims to be put to death or attacked, there’s no way they could be charged under a hate speech law. To be hate speech it must specifically call for death or violence against a group.