"[Christian Voice's] public stance is incompatible with the position of The Co-operative Bank, which publicly supports diversity and dignity, in all its forms, for our staff, customers and other stakeholders," a spokesperson for the bank said.
Christian Voice responded with a notice on its website titled “Co-op Bank not for Christians,” in which President Stephen Green claimed the bank was in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the British Parliament is in the process of adopting.
Green’s treatise on homosexuality, “The Sexual Dead-End,” was published in 1992.
The UDHR bans discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs. Co-op Bank Director of Corporate Affairs Simon Williams responded by saying that the decision to shutter Christian Voice’s account was not a religious one.
"The bank believes in respect for all sectors of society and its approach to Christian Voice is based purely on the issue of diversity and not on the grounds of religion," Williams said.
The website www.uk.gay.com said that Christian Voice must close its account by next week, having had 30-days warning. It is unknown which bank the organization will be working with in the future.