Censorship? London Mayor Bans 'Not Gay! Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud' Bus Ads

Homosexuality continues to be a highly-debated issue both in America and across the globe. England is no exception, as those stating views that are deemed to be anti-gay have found themselves in a great deal of trouble. In the latest free-speech flap, London Mayor Boris Johnson has stepped in and decided to ban bus advertisements supporting "ex-gays."

The intention of the advertisements seemed to be an effort to defend those individuals who no longer consider themselves homosexual -- a controversial transformation and notion that many gay activists deem an impossibility. The Christian Post has more:

The advert featured the slogan: "Not gay! Ex-gay, Post-gay and proud. Get over it!"

It had been due to appear on London buses along five routes for two weeks, starting Monday.

The ad had previously been cleared by advertising regulators and given the go-ahead, however, London Mayor Boris Johnson weighed in on the issue, using his position as chairman of Transport for London to ban it from London's buses.

According to Johnson, London has an obligation to be "intolerant of intolerance." The mayor went on to say that it is offensive, in his view, to claim that being gay is an illness that can be recovered from. This mere suggestion, Johnson claims, was enough to cause him to implement the ban.

U.K. Christian groups Anglican Mainstream and Core Issues Trust -- the groups that originated the ads -- are charging that Johnson is unfairly censoring them.

"We are saddened that this level of censorship is in operation in a city that regards itself as tolerant," said Dr. Mike Davidson, director of Core Issues Trust. "We think that this is a mistake and we think it is very important that people have the opportunity to debate freely from all points of view."

The ads were planned as a response to a separate campaign launched by Stonewall, a gay rights group. Stonewall had placed 1,000 pro-gay marriage ads on buses in an effort to redefine marriage to include gay couples. These messages were allowed.

(H/T: Christian Post)