Christian charity which focuses on unwanted gay desires gets backing of 66,000-plus signatories

The group is called Core Issues Trust, and the petition specifically demands that Barclays Bank “immediately reinstates” it as a customer, having ditched the charity in July.

The charity says that the bank had “provided no explanation for the decision”, but noted that it was made following roughly two months of a “co-ordinated, aggressive campaign from activists who pejoratively label its work as ‘conversion therapy’”.

The charity’s registered statement of objectives says it exists “for the purpose of empowering individuals and churches to make, and to promote, lifestyle choices consistent with Christian living”.

It was incorporated as a company-limited-by-guarantee (basically a non-profit firm) in 2011, and then as a charity in 2016.

The group is run by director Mike Davidson, based in Ballynahinch, who describes his job as “educator” on the company paperwork.

He says the charity’s work “offers talking therapy to people who want to explore moving away from unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion”.

In Northern Ireland, discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities or services on the basis of religious belief or political opinion is prohibited by the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.

The wording of the petition targeting Barclays reads: “It is not the role of a commercial organisation to act as a moral arbiter over the perfectly legal activities and religious beliefs of one of your customers...

“I note that you were not so queasy on the issue of LGBT rights when it came to accepting funds from Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal, in 2008, in order to avoid a UK government bail-out.”

The petition is hosted on CitizenGo.org, a site which seems to cater for largely right-wing petitions.

It began roughly six weeks ago, and at time of writing had garnered 66,162 signatures, out of a total goal of 100,000.

Barclays was contacted by the News Letter but offered no response.

Among those supportive of Core Issues Trust is Colin Nevin, a 55-year-old from Bangor who has been a regular letter-writer to the News Letter.

He is a Christian who had previously struggled with “same-sex attraction”, and said it is “not really fair” to prohibit someone from seeking to change their desires.

He also said it was “a bit hypocritical” for LGBT campaigners in particular to take that tack, given that they argue people should be free to change their sex.

Mr Nevin said that whenever someone expresses a wish to change their sexuality, those same campaigners say: “No, you can’t! You’re born this way!”

He said banning people from exploring such a change is “taking away freedom”.

When it comes to his own view on whether sexuality is down to nature or nurture, he said: “It’s quite complex, not one person’s the same. But I tend to think of it more as a choice, a lifestyle, rather than you’re born that way – so I do believe in people coming out it.”