Leeds City Council in partnership with West Yorkshire Police has issued a new code of conduct for street preachers in order to combat homophobia. The move comes after continuous complaints have been made in recent years regarding anti-LGBTQ+ language being used by religious speakers in the UK-based city.

The officials involved have reportedly told preachers that their right to freedom of expression is “qualified”, meaning that it can be interfered with in order to reduce crime and protect the rights of others.

According to the code which was seen by the Yorkshire Post, street speakers must “refrain from using homophobic language or any other hate speech.

“It is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986 to use threatening, abusive or insulting words with the intention of causing a person to feel harassment, alarm or distress,” it continues.

Preachers are also being ordered to refrain from using language that may be upsetting to children, keep their volume down, and not operate at the same spot for more than 90 minutes at a time. The code also says that preachers may have to hand over contact information to the council and police, as well as details of their church group.

Speaking on the move, Leeds City Council said: “Leeds is a diverse and welcoming city and one where we want everyone to feel safe, Leeds City Council is committed to ensuring that no one should be exposed to hate speech of any form anywhere in Leeds.”

The council continued by confirming it would work with local authorities “to ensure that hate speech has no place in the city.”

Last year, West Yorkshire Police released a report revealing that one-in-seven hate crimes in 2021 were linked to homophobia. A spokesperson for the force added to the council’s comment, saying: “We are committed to ensuring that anyone who feels targeted because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, disability or transgender identity is listened to, and we will continue to treat all allegations of hate crimes seriously, investigate them and take positive action as appropriate.”

The spokesperson explained that authorities are “always conscious of the need to balance people’s rights and freedoms with the rights of others to be protected against hate speech,” and that this code of conduct is “one measure to encourage reasonable behaviour.”