British Anti-Gay Activist Banned From Library For Verbal Abuse of Staff

Yesterday's Manchester Guardian reports on a confrontation between British anti-gay rights activist Joe Fairclough, and a librarian at Leigh Library in the town of Wigan. Fairclough, a devoted Christian who had engaged in a number of anti-gay activities at the library in the past, refused assistance from one of the library's staff members because the man was gay and had been through a civil partnership ceremony. Fairclough asked for help instead from another librarian because he does not approve of two men being married. The next day when Fairclough returned to the library, two staff members asked him to leave because he had insulted their colleague. The Library's Code of Conduct permits banning of patrons who engage in verbal abuse. Eventually a police constable arrived and took Fairclough into custody, but released him without filing charges. [Thanks to Towerload blog for the lead.]