University to remove image of former Archbishop over anti-gay views?

Feb 22 2015
Written by Nick Duffy

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

An image of former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey will reportedly be removed from a building at King’s College London, after objections from LGBT campaigners.

King’s alumnus Lord Carey had been featured on the side of a building at the Strand campus entrance for several years, alongside other notable alumni including Desmond Tutu.

However, campaigners raised concerns about the message it sends due to the Archbishop’s long record of opposing gay rights, tabling an amendment to ‘wreck’ the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill in the House of Lords.

He was roundly criticised in 2012, after an apparent comparison between opponents of equal marriage and Jews during the Holocaust.

According to student newspaper Roar News, KCL Principal Ed Byrne has agreed to ‘refresh’ the area’s design and remove the image of Lord Carey.

Campaigner Ben Hunt said: “Currently provisional discussions are under way for a change in the Strand windows.

“The Principal has stated that this process will involve the formation of a committee to decide the new alumni for the front of Strand.

“The scheme is an attempt to be more inclusive of different identities around King’s.

“This scheme will also mean the removal of Lord Carey and the inclusion of minorities in the discussions for new alumni.”

The former Archbishop of Canterbury graduated from the college in 1962 with a 2:1 Bachelor of Divinity (BD) degree and was subsequently ordained.

Campaigners have been pressing for the change for a number of years, with Peter Tatchell backing the campaign in 2012.

Lord Carey previously said: “Same sex relationships are not the same as heterosexual relationships and should not be put on the same level.”