An advertising ban on proclaiming sodomy an abomination has “undermined the free marketplace of ideas”, the High Court has heard. Lawyers for a Belfast church challenging the restrictions also stressed no attack was being made on the human rights of gays and lesbians.
Sandown Free Presbyterian Church is seeking to judicially review an Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decision that a newspaper notice it placed had caused serious offence.
The legal case centres on a full-page advert it took out in the News Letter ahead of a Gay Pride parade in Belfast in August 2008.
It was headlined: “The word of God against sodomy” and invited people to meet for Gospel witness against the act.
After receiving seven complaints that the notice was homophobic, the ASA ruled it could not appear again in the same form. It also told the church to take more care to avoid causing serious offence.
Sandown's legal team argue its rights to religious belief and freedom of expression under European law have been breached.
They also claim the church was not given the chance to offer an explanation before the ban was imposed.
The hearing continues.
SIC: BT/UK