Kristie Higgs lost her role as a Pastoral Administrator and Work Experience Manager at Farmor’s School in Fairford, Gloucestershire, in 2019 after sharing Facebook posts criticising plans to teach about LGBT relationships in primary schools.
The mother-of-two challenged a June 2023 Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment, which ruled in her favour but sent the case back to an employment tribunal for a fresh decision over whether her dismissal was lawful.
In a judgment on Wednesday – the latest stage of her years-long legal battle – three appeal judges ruled in her favour, saying that while her conduct was “unwise” it was “disproportionate” to fire her.
They found that the decision to remit the case back to an employment tribunal was “unlawfully discriminatory”.
Lord Justice Underhill, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Lady Justice Falk, said: “In the present case the claimant, who was employed in a secondary school, had posted messages, mostly quoted from other sources, objecting to Government policy on sex education in primary schools because of its promotion of ‘gender fluidity’ and its equation of same-sex marriage with marriage between a man and a woman.
“It was not in dispute… that the claimant’s beliefs that gender is binary and that same-sex marriage cannot be equated with marriage between a man and a woman are protected by the Equality Act.
“The school sought to justify her dismissal on the basis that the posts in question were intemperately expressed and included insulting references to the promoters of gender fluidity and ‘the LGBT crowd’ which were liable to damage the school’s reputation in the community: the posts had been reported by one parent and might be seen by others.
“However, neither the language of the posts nor the risk of reputational damage were capable of justifying the claimant’s dismissal in circumstances where she had not said anything of the kind at work or displayed any discriminatory attitudes in her treatment of pupils.”
Mrs Higgs, from Fairford, had shared and commented on posts raising concerns about relationship education at her son’s Church of England primary school – not the one at which she worked.
Pupils were to learn about the No Outsiders In Our School programme, a series of books teaching the Equality Act in primary schools and which her supporters say involved discussion of “confusing and harmful gender identity”.
Mrs Higgs, who was posting on Facebook under her maiden name, shared two posts in October 2018 to about 100 friends, one of which referred to “brainwashing our children”.
The first post encouraged people to sign a petition – set up by someone else – challenging the Government’s plans to introduce Relationships and Sex Education to children in primary schools.
The second shared an article on the rise of transgender ideology in children’s books in American schools, with Mrs Higgs adding her own comment: “This is happening in our primary schools now.”
An anonymous complaint was made to the school and Mrs Higgs was suspended and, after a disciplinary hearing, dismissed for gross misconduct.
Mrs Higgs, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, took the school to an employment tribunal, arguing she had been unlawfully discriminated against because of her Christian beliefs.
Worth reading in full.
Dr. Will Jones is Editor of the Daily Sceptic. He has a PhD in political philosophy, an MA in ethics, a BSc in mathematics and a diploma in theology. This article was first published HERE
12 comments:
The fact that this woman is a Christian is immaterial. She could have been a Muslim or a Hindu, or an agnostic or an atheist. There are many people of all persuasions and of none who object to the gender-bender agenda and the way in which young children's heads are being turned by skillful manipulators let loose on them by the education authorities.
All people who feel this way should work together to put an end to it. Drawing attention to a set of beliefs not shared by all of us turns this into a Christian vs non-Christian dispute which it most certainly is not.
@Barend Vlaardingerbroek if Mrs Higgs’ religion is so immaterial to you then why do you such disrespect as to call her “this woman” and denigrate her identity as a ‘Christian’ by stating it doesn’t matter? If it really didn’t matter to you you’d simply be congratulating her on standing up and doing the right thing. Perhaps you should take a hard look at yourself and your own beliefs about others?
I would like to see Palestinians, who by virtue of usually being muslim, speak up on this issue. It would undoubtedly cause the progressives and their handmaidens to implode.
It is weird they don’t speak up when muslims tend to take a much harsher view on the rainbow crowd than most conservatives.
Anonymous, there is nothing disrespectful about referring to a specific woman as 'this woman'. By 'it doesn't matter' I meant that people who oppose the gender-bender agenda should forget about their ideological divisions and focus on the task at hand. I'm sure anyone conversant in everyday English understood perfectly well what I was saying but you apparently chose to be offended by it. Your problem, mate.
Did you note the lady, Mrs Higgs also objected to the relationships teaching at her son's C of E school ? Here we have illustrated what in my eyes many apostate Christian Churches have become - gutless , passive, hypocritical institutions incapable of standing up for anything much of value . Don't rock the boat , go with the flow my Anglican relatives used to say when I was involved in teaching phonic reading to failing children outside the system last century. Actually they were not the only religious 'social 'group to oppose what we were doing.
Hallelujah that a Christian is standing up for the truth in honest science research including the Cass Report, for a change , let alone hold up some biblical principles. Homosexuals have an exceedingly high suicide rate .They need compassion which is not the same as sympathy. More of these weak kneed limp rags of Christian people should read Revelation where Jesus describes one church as' the seat of Satan'.
We have a Academic, who regularly posts a comment (under many topics printed across this Website) and when one reads (as one has done here) what the Dear man has placed, they disagree, to which the Dear Man " then bounces back and in true Academic style does a take down, as his original post was not understood, and that those who do ' understand to re-read to define his script".
Can I point out to B.V two things -
1: - quote " Drawing attention to a set of beliefs not shared by all of us turns this into a Christian vs non-Christian dispute which it most certainly is not " end quote (recall this comment), in that the Gay Community are not believers in the Christian Faith, as it has within The bible Scripture that in a sense denigrates what the Gay movement is and does, which is odd seeing that many Ministers of Faith are in themselves Gay.
Also those who are educators of the Young in schools across the World are also members of the Gay Community and it has been proven, they do not take lightly to being " corrected over their approach to their education standards ".
2: - that many problems that arise, and plague the Community have a start within the " Walls of Universities ", starting with those who educate the students before them, in subject matter that has links to Marxist/Lenin = Socialism attitudes, that then prevail in what ever they accomplish away from University, and this includes the Gay Community who pass through such places, what they learn and also take into the Community.
What is interesting that the Lady of England actually got to a Court Room on her legal issue, knowing full well she was up against a very " indoctrinated group " (the Gay Community) who have "invaded " ALL levels of education across England.
Also B.V when the Muslim Community come against these " attitudes ", in the UK, their collective reaction it to place their Children within Muslim education centers, which is paid for by the Govt.
As to Christian Vs Non Christian, this has to includes those who are agnostic, believers in other Religious Faiths, which now has to include the Muslim faith, which this has sadly become a fact of our now current daily lives.
I can barely follow the [il]logic emerging through the morass of appalling grammar, internal contradictions and inappropriate use of quotation marks, but will make one quick counterpoint: if s/he can be bothered doing a little homework, Anonymous above will find that Marxism/Leninism is far from gay-friendly. One of the toughest places to be gay is North Korea. And homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia only after the demise of the USSR.
Not on the topic completely but related is a public health research paper that I have read that says the emergence of visible , vital , gay , lesbian and bisexual community acceptance has not caused a reduction in attempted suicides in this group of people counter to what was thought and the earlier 'they came out' the higher suicide rate. I conclude much of all the varieties of sexual education children are being exposed to will not help them in not becoming suicidal . If it teaches children homosexuality is an ok lifestyle rather than one fraught with psychological problems from all sorts of causes we are damaging them.
I interact with a homo sexual fairly regularly and he has honestly stated he would rather be straight because life is so difficult and the cause is not unacceptance.
@B.V. The fact that she is a Christian was a material fact in the story. The only person making an issue of it was yourself in your comment you silly man š¤£
From Wiki: Re: material fact/materiality - "Materiality is the significance of facts to the matter at hand...
[A fact is] material if it has some logical connection to a fact of consequence ..."
Resistance to the indoctrination of children in relation to sexuality is not restricted to any religious group in society. An objector may be Christian but may also be Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, pagan, or profess no religious faith at all. Therefore, the religion of Mrs Higgs is not a 'material fact' (unless she based her objections purely on specific articles of faith which she is then imposing on others, but we are not told about that).
The 'issue' to me was and is that all of us who oppose this gender-bender bunkum should work together to see it dismantled. If we squabble among ourselves over ideological differences, we will not succeed. For the sake of our children, let us show a united front on this occasion at least.
I agree with Barend it needs to be a united front against this iniquitous attack on children. Christians who claim a commitment to the truth should be out there helping with overcoming this evil against vulnerable children. If they are not they are frankly deluded hypocrites. I do notice that a Christian group helped Mrs Briggs with the court case. Thank God some of them are doing something of value for society and not just a cosy knitting circle as described by Richard Dawkins. Incidentally Christianity thrives best when in a persecuted state, as shown historically over and over again.
Even the greatly vilified Putin is forbidding Russian orphans to be adopted out to countries that promote this transgender mania.
In Russia it is an indictable offence to disseminate propaganda promoting non-traditional [in relation to sexuality] lifestyles among minors.
Russian commentators are frequently pointing to the moral demise of Western society. It reminds me of when Brezhnev made a quip about a rotten apple dropping off a tree without any outsider having to go to any effort to make it fall.
Post a Comment