Rainbow lights and a rainbow flag will
greet Franklin Graham as he attends a three-day event in the UK.
Graham, the son of the late Billy
Graham and head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, will be
in the UK to speak at the Festival of Hope. Graham, who has close
ties to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has a long
history of making homophobic and transphobic comments.
According to The Guardian,
Blackpool Tower, a 518 foot tower in Blackpool, England inspired by
the Eiffel Tower, will be lit in rainbow colors and fly a rainbow
flag in support of the LGBT community.
Other planned protests against Graham
include church services designed to attract LGBT people and a 13-foot
Jesus wearing a rainbow sash parading around the town center.
At a rally in 2016, Graham called
same-sex
marriage “the great sin.” Graham, who supported Trump during
the campaign, has often criticized President Barack Obama's support
for LGBT rights, going so far as blaming
the Syrian refugee crisis on Obama's support for such rights.
(Related: Franklin
Graham not afraid to have his head “chopped off” for opposing gay
rights.)
Graham is also known for making
Islamophobic comments. The Muslim Council of Britain has called for
the government to refuse Graham entry into the UK.
Nina Parker of LGBT-inclusive Liberty
Church said that she was opposed to Graham's visit.
“Franklin Graham maintains
wholehearted support for Trump and has a belief that God put Trump in
the White House,” Parker
told the outlet. “To me, in the light of the many Trump
policies that have harmed the most vulnerable in society, Graham's
support for Trump questions his credibility as a Christian leader.”
“Graham speaks in a derogatory and
inflammatory way about LGBT people, Muslims and other minorities,”
she added.
This week, Graham told CBN News
that allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump's Supreme Court
nominee Brett Kavanaugh were “not relevant.”
(Related: LGBT
groups call for halt in Brett Kavanaugh confirmation amid assault
allegations.)