The Advertising Standards Authority has dismissed complaints about an ad for an ex-gay talk at a Bay of Islands church. Three people wrote in with objections to the ad from the Paihia Baptist Church which read “Have you issues with same sex attractions? Come and hear the life story of a husband who had and with support overcame these issues. He and his wife have helped many others.” Complainant S. Court “this is not about free speech, this is about people taking a treatment proven to cause harm. This is about parents forcing their confused children to go through a treatment that is about guilt and self-hate.” It was also put forward that “having same sex attractions is normal and to suggest otherwise is close minded” and “to suggest that one person who lives in the closet can cure people of being homosexual is offensive.” The Advertising Standards Authority says advertising rules allow for “robust expression of belief or opinion”, which should be clearly distinguishable from factual information. “The Chairman acknowledged the Complainants were offended by the advertisement, however she said the invitation to attend a talk about same sex attraction, was allowed for under the provision of advocacy and did not reach the threshold required to be considered to portray people in a manner likely to cause serious and widespread offence on the grounds of sexual orientation or to cause hostility, contempt or ridicule,” the decision reads. “She confirmed that while it was a contentious issue, advocacy allowed for Advertisers to promote their beliefs and opinions. Looking at the advertisement she said it was clearly an invitation to be informed about one person’s experience and was offering an information service to those who might share similar beliefs as reflected in the language used.” Therefore, the ad was judged as not breaching advertising rules.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 8th May 2014 - 9:28am