UPDATE: Christian Concern will turn up to Vue to watch cancelled gay cure doc after ‘campaign of intolerance’
Christian Concern are urging people to turn up to Vue for a cancelled screening of a gay cure documentary hosted at the cinema after they have faced “a campaign of intimidation and intolerance”.
The Evangelical Christian group, who are partnered with Core Issues Trust, intended to screen a gay conversion therapy documentary, named Voices of the Silenced: Experts, Evidences and Ideologies at Vue Piccadilly Circus cinema in London on Thursday.
And after speaking to Vue International – who later confirmed that they had not cancelled the screening prior to PinkNews’ investigation – Core Issues Trust and its allied group, Christian Concern, have confirmed that they intend to show up at the cinema for the scrapped screening tomorrow evening.
“You’ve started a campaign of intimidation and intolerance. You are seeking to make people fearful, and we won’t be intimidated,” said the Head of Christian Concern, Andrea Williams to PinkNews.
“We intend to come as is our right and watch the film. there’s still 24 hours to go, and we’re looking at our legal recourse. we haven’t given up yet and were certainly not advising Mike Davidson (CEO of Core Issues Trust, responsible for the screening) to stand down. Yes, we do expect the film to be shown,” she added.
The film claims to have spoken to 15 people who have “come out of homosexual practices” thanks to therapy or religion with the intention of challenging the “myth… that people are born gay”.
Literature from the group hosting the event
“This is fundamentally a free speech issue,” the group said to BBC News.
“As usual a minority of gay activists use threats and intimidation to shut down opposing views. Tragically, they can’t tolerate the truth that there are significant numbers of men and women who have no wish to remain in a gay lifestyle and seek help with it.”
Vue International have released a statement that they “do not want to censor content” but believe that film is “in direct contradiction to Vue’s values”.
“Vue review all private screening bookings once content and full details have been received in full and will revise its policies again in this respect. While it is not our intention to censor content, in some instances where we feel an activity is in direct contradiction to Vue’s values a decision will be made to refrain from allowing a private event to go ahead,” said a spokesperson for the cinema group to PinkNews.
Vue has therefore cancelled the private event request by Core Issues Trust and Christian Concern due to the event endorsing and promoting a ‘cure’ to being gay,” they added.
Core Issues Trust leader Mike Davidson describes himself as “an ex-gay”.
Davidson also appeared on Good Morning Britain to debate the virtues of gay cure therapy with Piers Morgan.
