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The Independent
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Pride flag taken down after complaint from Christian bookshop
A Pride flag was taken down in a Derbyshire town after a Christian charity-run bookshop complained. To mark Pride Month this June, the rainbow LGBTQ+ standard was hung along Matlock's historic high street for the first time, a road known for its display of flags, including the St George's Cross, the Union Jack, and the Derbyshire county flag. But within 24 hours, the Pride flag vanished from outside Cornerstone Bookshop on Dale Road, which is run by a Christian charity. The store confirmed to The Independent that it had issued an objection to the town council 'in keeping with our faith' and that it was 'grateful for the speedy removal' of the flag. Matlock Town Council, which had installed the standard on a council-owned flagpole, said it had taken down the flag and temporarily moved it to another central location. It said it made this decision 'purely from a health and safety standpoint following communication that the flag may be forcibly removed'. Cornerstone Bookshop denied issuing any threats to take the standard down themselves. In a statement issued on behalf of local mayor Marilyn Franks and deputy mayor Ashley Orwin, the council stressed it 'stands in full support of the LGBTQIA+ community'. It added: 'The move was made without malice or prejudice, and we sincerely apologise to any individuals or groups who were hurt by this decision. We recognise how symbolic the flag is, especially during Pride Month, and we acknowledge the impact this action had, regardless of intent.' In a statement, Cornerstone Bookshop said: 'The bookshop is an inclusive organisation that wants to share the Christian faith with everyone and we do not want to advocate or condemn anyone on the basis of their belief or sexual orientation... We had to decline to fly the flag allocated to our shop, as a matter of conscience and in keeping with our faith and scriptures.' It continued: 'We are.. very grateful for the speedy removal of this flag when we raised our concern to the council.' The decision has sparked a debate in the Peak District spa town. Local resident Kate Bond said she donated £150 to the refreshment of the flags and was delighted when she saw the LGBTQ+ standard had been incorporated into her town's display. She told the Guardian: 'It's [the flag's removal and relocation] crazy. You just can't believe it. More than anything, what I'm bothered about is the fact that it's happened without anybody knowing about it. This sly little way it's been done, it's wrong somehow. If it's your idea to put them up, stand by it.' The row has also highlighted divides within the area's Christian community. Reverend Stephen Monk of St Helen's Church in Darley Dale – who is a member of the Inclusive Church network – wrote a letter to the mayor of Matlock Jason Knighton, outlining his concerns. According to the Derbyshire Times, he wrote: 'We need to be united in love. The sign of the rainbow has always been a sign of biblical hope in God's love and trust in God's invitation to be together – one diverse family.' The newspaper reported that the flag has been moved to the Garden Room café on Causeway Lane. It added that the council has now ordered more rainbow designs with other businesses are wanting to put them up.
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Pride flag moved in Matlock after Christian bookshop complaint
A council in Derbyshire has removed a Pride flag following a complaint from a Christian Town Council said it had received "communication" that the rainbow flag could be "forcibly removed" from outside Cornerstone Christian Bookshop in Dale Road so action was taken to relocate the the flag to another central location to avoid confrontation or council said the decision was "purely from a health and safety standpoint" and it stood in "full support of the LGBTQIA+ community".In a statement, the trustees of the bookshop said they were happy to fly flags but declined to fly the Pride flag as a "matter of conscience and in keeping with our faith and scriptures". Last year, the council needed to replace a number of flags and approved a budget to add Derbyshire and Pride flags to complement the existing Union Jacks flown in the town's mayor, Marilyn Franks, told the BBC the idea was to make the town centre more colourful and welcoming to visitors. The various flags were put up randomly above shop fronts but the Christian bookshop, which has been open since 1994, complained. The council's decision to move the flag prompted criticism on social deputy mayor Ashley Orwin, who is gay, said the complaint and the flag's removal had supercharged support for the town's first Pride event which is taking place in June next year."This has actually sparked a really positive response because it has shown how inclusive and accepting the community is," Orwin said. "There's been a moment of complaint and it spiralled into a bit of a social media thing. But the resounding thing from it is people support and love our community."As a gay man in public office, this has only been a positive thing... this has sparked our first Pride [event] in the Peaks in Matlock that's going to happen next year."In a statement, town council leaders said they "deeply regret" any upset the removal may have caused. "The move was made without malice or prejudice, and we sincerely apologise to any individuals or groups who were hurt by this decision," the statement said."We recognise how symbolic the flag is, especially during Pride Month, and we acknowledge the impact this action had, regardless of intent." In a joint statement, the store's trustees said: "The bookshop is an inclusive organisation that wants to share the Christian faith with everyone and we do not want to advocate or condemn anyone on the basis of their belief or sexual orientation."As a Christian bookshop we would have been delighted to have flown the Derbyshire flag, the flag of St George or the Union Flag. "Unfortunately, due to lack of initial consultation on the matter, we had to decline to fly the flag allocated to our shop, as a matter of conscience and in keeping with our faith and scriptures."Many of the other faith communities in Britain would also have declined to fly this flag. Fortunately, we are blessed in this country with freedom of conscience and freedom of religion legislation, enshrined in the Equality Act of 2010 which allows religion or belief as a protected characteristic. "We are therefore very grateful for the speedy removal of this flag when we raised our concern to the council."
