You don't have the freedom to upset people here.
You have the freedom to debate in a reasonable manner.
We asked you nicely to change it, you've refused so we've banned your ability to have an avatar.
You are putting too much stock into this single issue which is, in reality, unimportant in the wider good of the site.
We've asked people to remove avatars before for a variety of reasons - but most often because it's upset someone. We've removed avatars which feature Savile before - people just don't like to see his face any more it seems. Maybe because they come here for a kind of escapism, I don't know. But I know I answer to the site as a whole, and not just you.
You're not a special case, it's just the way we've chosen to run the site. If you can articulate why you having that avatar is better for the site as a whole, I am listening.