The majority of people who spoke to the Belfast Telegraph in north Belfast said the pastor should be free to say what he wants and should not be disciplined just because he spoke his own mind.
William Letson resides very close to the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle. He backed the pastor and encouraged him not to back down.
Mr Letson said: "Everyone should have the right to say what they want. We have freedom of speech and we should be allowed to practise it without fear.
"I think Pastor McConnell was all the braver for standing up for his beliefs and saying what he thought.
"It's similar to the Ashers bakery case, where they were prosecuted for going against their personal beliefs.
"When will this all stop? The world is going crazy with regard to all this sort of thing." [Belfast Telegraph] Read more
