Gay activists have demanded the removal of a portrait of Lord Carey from King’s College, London, following his defence of man/woman marriage.

A high-profile alumnus of King’s College, the former Archbishop of Canterbury’s portrait has become the target of renewed demands for its removal by the college’s LGBT Liberation Association. The group’s ire with Lord Carey dates back to 2012 when he said that any attempt to redefine the meaning of marriage would “strike at the very fabric of society” and insisted that same-sex unions could not be considered “on the same level” as male/female marriage unions.

A proposed redevelopment plan for the facade of King’s College has apparently offered the opportunity for the LGBT group to restate its opposition to Lord Carey’s appearance in a series of panels depicting famous past students.

However, defenders of Lord Carey have countered that removing the portrait would only serve to question the college’s position on freedom of thought, speech and religion.

Colin Hart, of the Coalition for Marriage charged that “attempting to airbrush Lord Carey from Kings College’s list of distinguished alumni for his support of traditional marriage smacks of the most appalling form of censorship.” Adding that “Lord Carey stood up for his beliefs”, Hart lamented that “We have already seen those in the public sector who back traditional marriage get disciplined, demoted and sacked. Now the best of our academic institutions are following this depressing trend, persecuting those of faith.”