Homosexuality The group has been involved in campaigns against the
Gay Police Association. Christian Voice is opposed to police officers participating in
gay pride marches, and in 2003 wrote to the
Chief Constable of each force which it alleged allowed its officers to march in uniform at Pride events. The organisation published the replies on its website and, in the accompanying 16-page document
Homosexuality and the Police, described homosexuality as "characterised by disease, degradation, death and denial" and Gay Pride as "intimidating". On 2 September 2006, Green was arrested while handing out pamphlets urging homosexuals to "turn from their sins" at the
Cardiff Mardi Gras. The police considered the leaflets hateful. The
Crown Prosecution Service decided to withdraw their prosecution of Green on the grounds of insufficient evidence; the police stated that this did not "challenge the legality" of his arrest. Green's solicitor indicated he would seek damages in civil court for "abuse of police powers."
Blasphemy Christian Voice was involved in criticism of British performances of
Jerry Springer: The Opera, including a transmission of a performance by the
BBC in 2005. The group stated that the production was
blasphemous in its depiction of
Jesus,
Mary and
God as guests on the
Jerry Springer Show. Green said of the production, The group maintained a presence outside the Cambridge Theatre in
London where it ran. It then mounted protests outside every theatre on the 2006 run of the show, attributing the financial disaster of the tour to divine intervention rather than its own actions. Also in 2006, it mounted parallel protests outside the
St Andrews University production of
Terrence McNally gay rights play
Corpus Christi. Christian Voice started a campaign for people to complain to the
BBC and published the home addresses and telephone numbers of two BBC executives on their web site,
Jana Bennett (Director of Television) and
Roly Keating (Controller of
BBC Two). Keating subsequently received death threats. On 8 January 2007, submissions were made on behalf of Stephen Green at
Horseferry Road Magistrates Court to pursue private prosecutions for blasphemy against the
Director-General of the BBC Mark Thompson and the show's producer, Jonathan Thoday. A summons was refused on 30 January 2007 due to lack of
prima facie evidence that a crime had been committed, and the provisions of the
1968 Theatres Act, which enshrines the right of free expression in theatrical works. An appeal to the
High Court was dismissed on 5 December 2007. On 5 March 2008 the House of Lords rejected the call to hear an appeal of the High Court's decision because "it did not raise an arguable point of law of general public importance". The offenses of
Blasphemy and Blasphemous Libel were abolished by the
Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 with effect from 8 July 2008.
HPV vaccine CV placed an advertisement in the
New Statesman asserting that
HPV vaccines would make young people sterile. In January 2009, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the advertisement breached advertising regulations on accuracy. Christian Voice had predicted the ruling and responded "requiring the substantiation of a future prediction in an opinion piece is preposterous and an infringement of freedom of speech."
Other In November 2008, following the failed private prosecution by Emily Mapfuwa over the display of a foot-high statue of Jesus with a
phallus in the
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art,
Gateshead, Stephen Green urged Christians to "create public disorder if [they] wish such a case to proceed in future", and stated that the artwork in question would "not survive being put on public display again." On 8 January 2009, Christian Voice complained to the
Advertising Standards Authority about the
Atheist Bus Campaign's adverts on 800 buses across England, Scotland and Wales. CV objected to the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." ==Controversy==