A U.K. conference center says U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham is no longer welcome to preach at the arena, citing statements the Christian leader has made that its staff deemed incompatible with our values.

Franklin Graham, who has called Islam evil and homosexuality a sin, was scheduled to speak at the ACC Liverpool, an arena and convention center in northwest England, in June. But after protests from LGBTQ advocates and allies in Liverpool, the arenas staff canceled the booking.

In light of a number of statements Graham has made in the past, we can no longer reconcile the balance between freedom of speech and the divisive impact this event is having in our city, ACC Liverpool staff said in a statement published Friday.

Rev. Andrew Foreshew-Cain, a gay, married Anglican priest and a leader within the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England , said his organization welcomed the news.

Mr. Graham, like everyone else, is entitled to his opinions and is free to express them, and there are consequences to doing so when they are so repugnant and divisive. One of those consequences has been this decision, Foreshaw-Cain told HuffPost in an email. It would be good if the other venues in his tour also chose to exercise their freedom not to be vehicles for the spreading of his message of hate towards the LGBTI communities in our cities here in the U.K.

A website advertising Grahams U.K. tour now says that the location of his Liverpool event is TBA . Graham is also scheduled to speak at Glasgow in Scotland, Cardiff in Wales and Newcastle, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Birmingham and London in England.

LGBTQ leaders in Sheffield have called for the cancelation of Grahams appearance in that city.

On Tuesday, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association UK called for supporters to pray for the U.K. as opposition from media rises up against the tour, slated to start in Glasgow on May 30. The association said the media reports arent dampening the enthusiasm of Jesus followers throughout the island nation in northwestern Europe.

Roger Chilvers, the BGEAs U.K. director of training and church ministry, said Graham is coming to the country with a message of hope that transforms lives when nothing else can.

That needs to be heard, and thats what will be the central message that we proclaim, Chilvers said .