David Grey, Chairman

Sheffield City Trust

23 Carbrook Hall Road

Sheffield

S9 2EH

Open letter re: Franklin Graham Tour

We are contacting you on behalf of Sheffield's LGBT+ Communities to call on you to reconsider your position relating to hosting the Franklin Graham Tour at Sheffield Arena on 6th June.

We were dismayed to learn that despite multiple objections from the city's faith leaders, cross party representations from the city's councillors and objections from the city's residents that you still plan for the event to go ahead citing 'freedom of speech' as your justification.

Franklin Graham has repeatedly publicly promoted his homophobic beliefs including, but not limited to, branding homosexuality a 'sin', claiming Satan was the architect of same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, claiming gay people existing are causing a "moral 9/11", declared that gay people are "the enemy" of civilisation and advocates for the highly damaging abusive practice of gay conversion therapy.

We believe that these statements far exceed freedom of speech and are direct hate speech and incitement to violence against LGBT+ communities and individuals which should not be welcomed in our city, or anywhere else.

We are currently seeing huge increases in hate crimes against LGBT+ communities and daily reports of violent assaults against LGBT+ people for simply existing. Providing a platform for such hateful ideologies is not simply a matter of freedom of speech or a difference of opinion but will directly cause harm and increase the risk, fear and violence that LGBT+ people already face.

We stand in solidarity with the city’s faith communities and others who have already raised objections to the event and call on Sheffield City Trust / Sheffield International Venues to not cause further harm to LGBT+ individuals and communities and reconsider their position and cancel the Franklin Graham event.

We strongly urge you to reconsider your decision to allow this event to go ahead.